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The value of routine histopathology after laparoscopic cholecystectomy : a single-centre retrospective analysis
Abstract
Introduction Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is among the most common general surgical procedures globally. While many centers routinely send all gallbladder specimens for histopathological examination, the clinical and cost-effectiveness of this practice is debated. This study evaluates the utility of a routine approach compared to a selective one. Methods We conducted a retrospective observational study of 171 patients (n=171) who underwent elective, expedited, or urgent laparoscopic cholecystectomy at Warwick Hospital between 1 July 2023 and 30 January 2024. Data were extracted from the theatre management system (ORMIS) and electronic patient records (E-volve). Results The cohort comprised 118 females (69%) and 53 males (31%), with a mean age of 53.1 years (±14.6). Most procedures were elective (73.7%, n=126), followed by expedited (14.6%, n=25) and urgent (11.7%, n=20). Histopathological analysis identified a single case (0.58%, n=1) of low-grade dysplasia with clear margins, which required no further intervention. The vast majority of specimens (99.4%, n=170) confirmed benign inflammatory disease. Conclusion The incidence of unexpected, clinically significant histopathological findings is exceptionally low. Subjecting all cholecystectomy specimens to routine histopathology imposes a substantial financial burden on the healthcare system with minimal patient benefit. A selective policy, guided by intraoperative macroscopic appearance and patient risk factors, represents a more rational and cost-effective strategy.
Date
2025-10-26
Type
Article
Subject
General surgery, Cholecystectomy, laparoscopic, Pathology
Collections
Citation
Elafandy A, Motawe A, Riaz A. The Value of Routine Histopathology After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A Single-Centre Retrospective Analysis. Cureus. 2025 Oct 26;17(10):e95453. doi: 10.7759/cureus.95453.
Journal / Source Title
Cureus
DOI
10.7759/cureus.95453
PMID
41306162
Publisher
Springer
Publisher’s URL
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12646292/
Publisher’s statement
© Copyright 2025 Elafandy et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0., which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.