[Complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in China: analysis of 39,238 cases]

All Chinese articles published from November 1995 through April 1994 about laparoscopic cholecystectomy were identified through CMCC. From 600 titles, 105 were read and left for analysis. Other 21 articles were from the 6th Biliary Surgical Congress and this hospital. Severe complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy were identified in 409 patients (0.4%), bile duct injury accounted for 0.32%, postoperative cystic duct leak and bile leak for 0.11% and 0.20% respectively. Peritoneal abscess and bowel injury occurred in 0.07% and 0.06% of cases, and postoperative hemorrhages were identified in 0.1% of the cases. Fourteen (0.04%) postoperative deaths resulted from operative injury. The data demonstrate that laparoscopic cholecystectomy is an operation which associated with low morbidity and mortality. But bile duct injury is still a problem, and complications of laparoscopic cholecystetomy can be minimized by improving operative procedure.