Patients aged between 20 and 30 years were the most represented with 53.1%, the average age was 38.37 ± 16.94 years with extremes of 9 and 78 years. The female sex was 70.3% (45 cases) with a sex ratio of 0.42; the majority were housewives, 42.2% of cases (Table 1).

Obesity was the risk factor found in 85.9% of cases, sickle cell disease was the most common medical history found in 14.1% of the patients (9.4%) and diabetes (7.8%). Regarding surgical history, caesarean section was the main history found in 10.9% of patients. Eighty-four point four percent 84.4% (54 cases) of patients had WHO performance index 1. As for the ASA score 68.7% (44 cases) had an ASAI score.

Fever, abdominal pain and vomiting were the main reasons for consultation in 31.3%, 29.7% and 23.4% of cases respectively. As for functional signs, hepatic colic was found in 54.7% (35 cases) and epigastralgia in 45.3% (29 cases) of cases. The Murphy sign was positive in 64.1% (41 cases) of patients. The average time of evolution of symptoms was 44.72 ± 60.341 days with extremes of 3 and 360 days and 54.7% had a duration of evolution of symptoms of less than 30 days.

Ultrasonography found vesicular lithiasis in 43.8% (28 cases), vesicular lithiasis cluster 40.6% (26 cases) and vesicular multimicrolithiasis in 9.4% (6 cases).

All patients received laparoscopic cholecystectomy (100%). The cholecystectomy was retrograde in 64.1% (41 cases) and anterograde in 35.9% (39 cases) of cases. The average duration of the operation was 66 minutes and 67.2% (43 cases) of the operations lasted between one and two hours. No cases of complication were recorded postoperatively.

During the study period, we recorded 64 cases out of 207 of laparoscopic surgery, i.e. a frequency of 30.9%. This frequency is statistically higher than those recorded in the series by Sagna A in 2001 [10] and Sangare D et al. in 2015 [11] which were respectively 1.6% and 16.1% (p < 0.05). This rate could be explained by the period of study, currently laparoscopic surgery has greatly revolutionized the world of surgery and many practitioners use this tool because of the reduced postoperative complications.

The average age of the patients was 38.37 ± 16.94 years with extremes of 9 and 78 years and 70.3% female. The female predisposition for lithiasis has been shown in several studies [9] [11] [12] the increase in fat mass in women appeared to be associated with an increased risk of biliary lithiasis [13]. However, in our study we found that surgery was occurring in younger and younger women, other mechanisms (probably hormonal in origin) are mentioned, such as LPAC (low phospholipid-associated cholelithiasis) syndrome [14].

Obesity affected 85.9% of our sample, with morbid obesity in 14.1%, severe obesity in 32.7% and moderate obesity in 39.1% of cases and sickle cell disease in 12.5% of patients. In the literature, obesity, sickle cell disease, intestinal diseases, and multiparity are cited as the main risk factors for biliary lithiasis [9].

Fever, abdominal pain and vomiting were the main reasons for consultation with 31.3%, 29.7% and 23.4% respectively.

This pain rate was statistically superior to those of Bhattacharya D [15] in Senegal in 2002, and Plummer in Jamaica [16] in 2006, who respectively found a pain frequency of 68% (p = 0.035) and 21% (p < 0.01).

On abdominal examination, hepatic colic and epigastralgia accounted for 54.7% and 45.3% of cases. HCD and positive Murphy’s signs dominated the signs found on physical examination. In Mali, Sanogo ZZ et al. [7] in Mali reported hepatic colic in 96.7% in 2006 and Sangaré D [11] 2013 found a frequency of 77.9%. Samb AN et al. [12] in 2016 reported 96.8% in Senegal. In France Guillaume P. [16] found hepatic colic in 78.8% of cases in 2003.

In this study, all our patients had performed ultrasound. Abdominal ultrasound remains the reference examination for the detection of gallstones, with a sensitivity of over 95% [17]. During our study, the preoperative and postoperative diagnoses of our patients were dominated by vesicular lithiasis clusters and vesicular lithiasis at respective rates of 40.6% and 39.1%.

Our results are not statistically different from those of other African authors (p > 0.05) [17] [18].

Retrograde cholecystectomy remains the reference technique in laparoscopic surgery and the most frequently used because it is considered the safe technique due to the primary control of Calot’s triangle instead of the main intraoperative complications [7] [12] [18]. However, the mode of cholecystectomy, anterograde or retrograde, may result either from a deliberate choice by the surgeon, or from conditions imposed on him, discovered intraoperatively or suspected preoperatively [19].

Retrograde cholecystectomy was performed in 64.1% during our study. This rate is different from that of Samb, Sagna and Najib (p ≤ 0.05) who reported 8.9%, 50% and 97.5% retrograde cholecystectomy respectively [10] [20]. This can be explained by a simple choice of operator according to the author of the study.

The average operative time was 66 minutes. It was 98 minutes for Fall B [21] and 135 minutes for Raveloson [22]. In the West, the average duration varied from 46 minutes to 91 minutes [20] [22]. This is a direct consequence of the experience of the laparoscopic surgeons.

We recognize that this study has limitations, the sample size was not calculated on a statistical basis and is therefore not representative. Some variables were not taken into account in the study, such as the follow-up of patients after surgery.

Despite these limitations, the study allowed us to make the situation of cholecystectomy at the University Hospital Center (CHU) Mother-Child “Luxembourg”.