Background: Although laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the preferred method for cholecystectomy, performing routine drainage after laparoscopic cholecystectomy is an issue of considerable debate. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the effect of using a drain on complications following an uncomplicated laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Materials and Methods: In this study, 86 patients with biliary colic were candidates for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The patients were randomly divided into two (the intervention and control) groups. In the intervention group, a drain was placed postoperatively, but the control group did not receive any intervention. The amount of fluid collection, length of hospital stay, recovery rate and the visual analog scale (VAS) for pain were recorded in all patients.

Results: Mean age of patients was 46.33±12.53 and 45.88±10.66 years in the drain and non-drain groups. The drain group was hospitalized 0.76 days more than the non-drain group (P=0.001). Complications were seen in the drain (7%) and non-drain (4.7%) groups. VAS was significantly higher in the drain group than the non-drain group (P=0.001).

Conclusion: Drainage does not have a positive effect on the postoperative abdominal secretions, recovery and the probable complications. Moreover, it can cause a significant increase in both length of hospital stay and pain score.