Protocol for enhanced recovery after surgery with 3D laparoscopic excision for choledochal cysts can benefit the recovery process.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical value of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) with laparoscopic choledochal cyst (CDC) excision in children. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed on the clinical data from 33 in-patients whose final diagnosis was CDC. We included 18 patients who underwent the traditional treatment for CDC from April 2017 to October 2017 as the control group and 15 patients who underwent the enhanced recovery protocol (ERP) from November 2017 to May 2018 as the ERAS group. All the patients had received three-dimensional (3D) laparoscopic choledochal cyst excision and Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy by the same group of pediatric surgeons. The time of initial water intake, postoperative time to total enteral nutrition (TEN), postoperative hospital stay, total cost in hospital, postoperative complications, and readmission rate within 30 days were analysed. RESULTS: The postoperative time of initial water intake, postoperative time to TEN, postoperative hospital stay, and total cost in hospital were (21.5 +/- 2.1) h, (4.3 +/- 0.5) days, (5.3 +/- 0.6) days, and (35,945.49 +/- 6071.46) China Yuan (CNY) in the ERAS group and (44.1 +/- 3.5) h, (7.7 +/- 2) days, (9.1 +/- 2.5) days, and (45,609.08 +/- 11,439.80) CNY in the control group, respectively. These values in the ERAS group were significantly lower than those in the control group (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of postoperative complications. No readmission patient within 30 days was encountered in either of the two groups. CONCLUSION: Enhanced recovery protocols can shorten postoperative hospital stay, relieve perioperative discomfort, lighten the financial burden, and result in substantial improvements.