Surgical stress response and clinical outcomes of single port laparoscopic cholecystectomy: prospective nonrandomized study

The levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) are proportionate to injury; it is the most commonly used quantitative marker in surgical studies. Cytokines and the acute-phase response play an important role in controlling the human immune system. The objective of this study was to compare the systemic acute cytokine response and clinical outcomes of conventional laparoscopic and single port laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We compared patients who underwent single port laparoscopic cholecystectomy (the single port group) with patients who underwent conventional laparoscopic cholecystectomy (the conventional group) according to the clinical variables, IL-6, leukocyte subpopulations, and visual analog scale (VAS) pain score. The mean age in the single port group was significantly younger (P = 0.010) and the mean operation time in the conventional group was significantly shorter (P = 0.002). Postoperative 4-hour VAS pain score was slightly worse in the single port laparoscopic cholecystectomy group, but was not significantly different. We found no difference in clinical outcomes, the level of serum IL-6, C-reactive protein, leukocyte subpopulations, and complications between the two groups. Stress response in single port laparoscopic cholecystectomy is equal to conventional surgery. Postoperative 4-hour VAS pain score was slightly worse and the operation time is significantly longer in the single port laparoscopic cholecystectomy group.