LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMYThis year, more than 1 million people in the United States will learn they have gallstones. They will join the estimated 20 million Americans who have previously been diagnosed with this condition. Most people with gallstones are asymptomatic, typically remain symptom free for years, and require no treatment. However, each year more than 700,000 Americans develop symptomatic stones, requiring some form of intervention. While there are alternative nonsurgical forms of treatment, these remain palliative rather than curative. Cholecystectomy--the surgical removal of the gallbladder--is the standard method for treating symptomatic gallstones and gallbladder disease. Until the end of the 1980s, this surgery was done as an "open" procedure, requiring a six-inch incision, a three-to four-day hospital stay, followed by a three-to six-week convalescence. In 1989, the world of gallbladder surgery underwent a revolution with the introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, or fiber optic surgery performed through the abdominal cavity wall. Developed in the United States by Dr. Eddie Joe Reddick, the procedure was enthusiastically embraced by both the surgical community and the public, because it resulted in less postoperative pain, shorter hospital stays, and more rapid return to normal activity when compared to the open procedure. Currently, 90 percent of cholecystectomies are done laparoscopically, and the procedure is the most common one performed in a general surgery practice. Yet, the benefits of the procedure have been attained against the backdrop of an alarmingly increased number of iatrogenic injuries, or those inadvertently induced by the surgeon. While many errors can arise during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the most devastating complication is injury to the bile duct system. Click here to read Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy...When Things Go Wrong.Online Laparoscopic Technical Manual Healthgate: Gallbladder Surgery Statement on Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy - American College of Surgeons Consensus Statement Overview Gallstones and Laparoscopic - National Institutes of Health |