OBJECTIVES: To establish the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio between the conventional procedure and the procedure with the use of indoscyanin green in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy to prevent bile duct injuries from the perspective of the Colombian health system.

METHODS: Complete cost-utility evaluation of standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy -LC compared to LC associated with fluorescent cholangiography using indocyanine green -IG in patients with biliary disease who are candidates for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The analytical model used was a decision tree and the outcomes measured were 5-year quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) with a discount rate of 3.5%.

RESULTS: The cost of using fluorescence with IG was $776,509 COP, while the usual surgery without IG showed an incremental cost of $780,663 COP. In turn, the QALYs with the use of IG was 4.55 (3.5%) more than conventional surgery without use of IG Fluorescence.

CONCLUSIONS: To avoid bile duct injury and generate higher QALYs in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Colombia, the use of indoscyanine green is a highly cost-effective or dominant strategy compared to the usual technique, therefore, it is more effective and less expensive.