Comparison of Post-Operative Port Site Pain after Gall Bladder Retrieval through Umbilical versus Epigastric Port in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Umbilical versus Epigastric Port in Patients Undergoing Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Abstract

Port-site pain is a typical issue that occurs after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. When the gall bladder is to be retrieved, the site used could be umbilical or epigastric and could have an effect on the extent of pain, which would impact patient comfort and recovery. Objectives: To determine the difference in post-operative port-site pain between umbilical and epigastric ports during laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients. Methods: It was a descriptive study done for six months at Khyber Teaching Hospital. Non-probability consecutive sampling was used to enroll 36 patients undergoing elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy and randomized them into umbilical and epigastric port groups. The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to measure post-operative pain at 6, 12, and 24 hours. The analyzed data were processed in SPSS v. 25. The chi-square test, independent samples t-tests, and multivariate linear regression were employed to measure the predictors of pain. The p-value≤0.050 was considered significant. Results: The umbilical port also recorded lower VAS scores at each time point (p≤0.050). Multivariable regression established port site as the significant predictor of pain with the only significant adjusted variable (p=0.003). Conclusions: The recovery of the gall bladder through the umbilical port would lead to much lower early post-surgery pain than through the epigastric port, regardless of patient demographics or comorbidities, and is an argument in favor of the umbilical port as the site of extraction.