Preoperative symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome predict poor outcome after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the accepted treatment for symptomatic cholelithiasis. This study examines the effect LC has on quality of life (QOL) and gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and determines whether patients with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) gain the same benefit as those without.

A total of 158 patients who underwent LC for symptomatic gallstones were recruited to this prospective observational study. IBS Manning scores were calculated and QOL was measured using the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) preoperatively, at 6 weeks, 3 months, and 2 years postoperatively. Linear regression analysis was used to identify preoperative symptoms that predict outcome.

One hundred twelve patients had sufficient data sets for inclusion. Patient’s GIQLI scores were calculated for the four time points in the study. The mean preoperative score was 88.8 ± 1.3 (61.7% of 144, the highest score possible) and improved 6 weeks after surgery to 105.5 ± 1.3 (p < 0.001). This improvement was maintained at 3 months, but at 2 years analysis showed regression toward the baseline of 7.6 ± 2.3 (p = 0.003) points. There was a negative correlation of −5.2 ± 1.29 (p < 0.001) points between each Manning symptom and QOL scores. The largest effect was seen in patients describing loose bowel movement with the onset of pain. Patients with this symptom had a −17.3 ± 4.6 (p < 0.001) lower global QOL score.

Patients with symptoms of IBS indicated by the Manning criteria show less improvement in quality of life after laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallstones.