[Progress in the surgical treatment of biliary disease (author's transl)]

Surgical techniques in the treatment of diseases of the gallbladder and the common bile duct have hardly changed over the past 30 years, except in the case of operations on the papilla. On the other hand, the intraoperative diagnosis of stones in the common bile duct according to Mirizzi, combined with the introduction of pressure measurements, has achieved quite a measure of success. Moreover, preoperative diagnosis in patients with jaundice can be achieved simply and with greater accuracy nowadays by means of ERCP, with a consequent positive influence on the operative technique.