Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2023. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. May 6, 2023; 11(13): 3002-3009
Published online May 6, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i13.3002
Awake laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A case report and review of literature
Chiara Mazzone, Maria Sofia, Iacopo Sarvà, Giorgia Litrico, Andrea Maria Luca Di Stefano, Gaetano La Greca, Saverio Latteri
Chiara Mazzone, Maria Sofia, Iacopo Sarvà, Giorgia Litrico, Andrea Maria Luca Di Stefano, Gaetano La Greca, Saverio Latteri, Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e Tecnologie Avanzate "G.F. Ingrassia", Università degli Studi di Catania, Catania 95123, Italy
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to this work; All authors have read and approve the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: The patient provided informed written consent prior to surgery.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Chiara Mazzone, MD, Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche, Chirurgiche e Tecnologie Avanzate "G.F. Ingrassia", Università degli Studi di Catania, Via Santa Sofia 87, Catania 95123, Italy. chiaramazzone1995@gmail.com
Received: September 14, 2022
Peer-review started: September 14, 2022
First decision: October 12, 2022
Revised: October 21, 2022
Accepted: November 10, 2022
Article in press: November 10, 2022
Published online: May 6, 2023
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is one of the most widely practiced surgical procedures in abdominal surgery. Patients undergo LC during general anaesthesia; however, in recent years, several studies have suggested the ability to perform LC in patients who are awake. We report a case of awake LC and a literature review.

CASE SUMMARY

A 69-year-old patient with severe pulmonary disease affected by cholelithiasis was scheduled for LC under regional anaesthesia. We first performed peridural anaesthesia at the T8-T9 level and then spinal anaesthesia at the T12-L1 level. The procedure was managed in total comfort for both the patient and the surgeon. The intra-abdominal pressure was 8 mmHg. The patient remained stable throughout the procedure, and the postoperative course was uneventful.

CONCLUSION

Evidence has warranted the safe use of spinal and epidural anaesthesia, with minimal side effects easily managed with medications. Regional anaesthesia in selected patients may provide some advantages over general anaesthesia, such as no airway manipulation, maintenance of spontaneous breathing, effective postoperative analgesia, less nausea and vomiting, and early recovery. However, this technique for LC is not widely used in Europe; this is the first case reported in Italy in the literature. Regional anaesthesia is feasible and safe in performing some types of laparoscopic procedures. Further studies should be carried out to introduce this type of anaesthesia in routine clinical practice.

Keywords: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, Awake surgery, Awake laparoscopy, Gallstone disease, Regional anaesthesia, Spinal anesthesia, Case report

Core Tip: We present the first Italian case of awake laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) in a patient with severe pulmonary disease. The use of regional anesthesia during LC is safe, with minimal side effects, and may provide advantages over general anesthesia.