Initial experience with laparoscopic cholecystectomy at the Beth Israel Medical Center

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has changed the treatment of symptomatic gallstones. We present an initial experience with this technique. From March 1990 to March 1991, there were 250 patients who were studied. There were 182 females and 68 males, with most classified as American Society of Anesthesiology Index Class I or II. All procedures were done using electrocautery. There was a definite learning curve for the procedure as evidenced by the duration of the operation. The mean time to perform the procedure was 112 minutes for the first 50 patients and 79 minutes for the last 50 patients. We converted 12 percent of the procedures to an open cholecystectomy for a variety of reasons, the most common being inflammation and adhesions in the triangle of Calot. However, we only had a 4 percent conversion rate in the last 50 patients. There were nine serious complications, with no deaths. The most frequent was a bile leak from the cystic duct stump. Other complications included a pneumothorax, requiring chest tube drainage and an unobserved carcinoma of the stomach. There were no injuries to the common bile duct. The results of our current experience confirm the safety and efficacy of laparoscopic cholecystectomy for the treatment of symptomatic gallstones. The use of electrocautery is safe during laparoscopy and the need for a laser is optional. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy will continue to evolve as more experience is gained and new instruments are introduced.