Background: The incidence of symptomatic biliary disease during pregnancy ranges from 0.05 to 8%. Cholecystectomy is one of the common operations performed during pregnancy and laparoscopic approach has gained popularity as an attractive alternative to open surgery.
Methods: In order to evaluate the safety, feasibility, outcomes and technical aspects of laparoscopic cholecystectomy during pregnancy a comprehensive search of Medline and Cohrane Library databases was conducted.
Results: Fifty-one studies were deemed eligible, in which laparoscopic cholecystectomy was attempted in 590 patients. The majority of the procedures (70.7%) were performed during the second trimester. Intraoperative and postoperative complications were observed in 3.5% and 4% of the study population. Conversion rate to open surgery was 2.2%. Fetal loss rate and preterm delivery rate were 0.4% and 5.7% respectively.
Conclusion: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy seems to be a safe alternative to open surgery during pregnancy.
Keywords: Cholecystectomy; Laparoscopy; Pregnancy.
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