[Celioscopic cholecystectomy]

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was born in 1987 and is now commonly performed, usually under general anaesthesia, and under the same technical conditions as conventional surgery. The operative procedure varies with the operators, but it is mandatory to evaluate the state of the bile duct by pre- or peroperative explorations. Compared with conventional surgery, the advantages of laparoscopic cholecystectomy are well known: the entire peritoneal cavity is explored; the lack of postoperative ileus makes it possible to resume normal feeding, and hence normal activity, after a short interruption; systemic and parietal complications are less frequent, but the biliary tract complication rate is higher, probably in relation to the operator's training. The indications were initially restrictive but now embrace the quasi-totality of gallstones, complicated or not, and in particular when the patient's general condition is fragile.