A randomized study of cholecystectomy with and without drainage.

Routine drainage of the bed of the gallbladder following cholecystectomy remains controversial. A prospectively randomized series of 100 instances of cholecystectomy for chronic and subsiding acute cholecystitis are reviewed. Postoperative fever was lowered, the need for dressing changes was virtually eliminated and hospital stay was shortened in patients who did not undergo drainage. No complications attributable to drain avoidance were seen.