The Safety and Necessity of Concomitant Cholecystectomy During Bariatric Surgery in Patients with Obesity: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Abstract

Concomitant cholecystectomy (CCE) during bariatric surgery(BS)in patients with obesity remains a matter of debate. This study aimed to estimate the safety and necessity of CCE during BS. This study analyzed the postoperative complications in patients who underwent CCE during BS and subsequent cholecystectomy rate following BS. Patients in CCE and BS-only groups had no difference in mortality. A higher postoperative complication rate was observed in the CCE group (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.3) (p < 0.001) but no severe complication in both groups. Following BS, gallstone patients had a higher subsequent cholecystectomy rate than those with normal gallbladders (OR 2.47%, 95% CI 1.5-4.1) (p < 0.001). Concomitant cholecystectomy increased the rates of postoperative complications during BS. We only recommend CCE for documented gallstones rather than for normal gallbladder.

Keywords: Asymptomatic gallbladder stone; Bariatric surgery; Concomitant cholecystectomy; Necessity; Safety.