Purpose: We investigated the effect of laparoscopic v open cholecystectomy on acute-phase reactants.
Patients and methods: Fifty patients were randomized to laparoscopic (Group 1) and 50 to open (Group 2) cholecystectomy. Preoperative and postoperative values for acute-phase reactants (ceruloplasmin, fibrinogen, Westergren sedimentation rate, alpha-1-antitrypsin, haptoglobin, and C-reactive protein) in blood samples were compared.
Results: Acute-phase reactants and length of hospitalization were significantly lower in patients who underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy than in those who underwent an open cholecystectomy.
Conclusion: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy appears associated with a less intense stress response and less tissue damage than open cholecystectomy.