[What is the cost of laparoscopic cholecystectomy?]

After laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has replaced open cholecystectomy (OC) to a large extent as standard method in the operative treatment of cholecystolithiasis the question of costs and economics raises. To evaluate this question the data of 50 patients who underwent elective LC were analysed in a retrospective study and compared with the data of 50 patients who were cholecystectomized using the open technique. The median of in-hospital stay was 6 (3-15) days for LC and 10 (3-33) days for OC. The median of time of working-disability was 14 (2-35) days for LC and 21 (2-56) days for OC. Total cost (median) of 3788 (2637-8101) DM for LC compared to 4509 (2041-15218) DM for OC. The median of hospital income was 2790 (1395-6975) DM for the LC-group and 4650 (1395-15346) DM for the OC-group. Due to the shorter in-hospital stay of LC-patients this method causes a microeconomical loss for the hospital compared to OC. Macroeconomically LC represents a benefit because of shorter working-disability.