A comparative study of outcomes between umbilical and epigastric port retrieval of gall bladder in elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gall stone disease: A double blinded randomized controlled trial

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is gold standard technique for gall bladder diseases. Gallbladder can be extracted either from the epigastric port or umbilical port. Regarding choice of exit port and use of endobag for retrieval, the SAGES guidelines for biliary surgery state “With no data to guide choice of technique, the gallbladder may be extracted as the surgeon prefers (2010) (Level III, Grade C)”. Multiple studies including RCT’s and Meta analysis have been performed comparing both the ports for gallbladder retrieval in multiport LC, however none of the studies has given a clear message regarding the optimal port site for retrieval.

The purpose of this study is to define the optimal port for gallbladder retrieval by comparing the two ports with respect to parameters like postoperative pain, total requirement of postoperative analgesia, gallbladder retrieval time and port site infection (SSI).