[Laparoscopic cholecystectomy--evaluation of a prospective follow-up study]

A report is presented on 105 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy because of symptomatic gallstone disease. Preoperative and intraoperative findings, complications and results were prospectively documented. In four (3.8%) patients the laparoscopic procedure had to be converted into open cholecystectomy. There were only minor surgical complications such as wound infection and a subhepatic haematoma. On average, patients were discharged on the second postoperative day. The operating time decreased from a median of 98 minutes in the first half to 73 minutes in the second half of the study, despite augmentation of the number of surgeons and of the indications to include patients with acute cholecystitis (n = 11), previous upper abdominal surgery (n = 7) and cirrhosis (n = 2).