The effects of preoperative milk drinking on gallbladderperforation during laparoscopic cholecystectomy

One of the complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is gallbladder perforation during surgery. Fasting before surgery causes gallbladder distention, which may increase the chance of iatrogenic gallbladder perforation during LC. A fatty meal stimulates endogenous cholecystokinin release and, consequently, the gallbladder contraction. This study evaluates the effects of preoperative milk drinking on gallbladder distention and iatrogenic gallbladder perforation during LC. This study was performed on patients who were candidates for elective LC in a university hospital from March 2011 to March 2012. 260 patients were randomly divided into two equal groups. The case group drank 300 mL of cold full-fat pasteurized cow's milk, while the control group drank 300 mL of cold water as the placebo, six hours before LC surgery. Data were collected in a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistical tests, t-test, and ANOVA analysis. In the 260 patients, despite a lack of significant differences in demographic and risk factors for gallbladder perforation between the two groups, both distention and gallbladder perforation rates were significantly lower in the case group than in the control group (P = 0.001 and, P = 0.032, respectively). Thus, drinking cold full-fat pasteurized cow's milk before LC surgery can reduce gallbladder distention and, consequently, the risk of gallbladder perforation during LC.