[Cost-benefit calculations in laparoscopic surgery. Substantial total benefits, but extra expenses for hospitals are...

Based on data from our prospective comparative study, we calculated health care costs associated with cholecystectomy (n = 200) and appendectomy (n = 40) patients undergoing open and laparoscopic procedures respectively. Average costs associated with cholecystectomy were reduced from NOK 36,750 to NOK 14,050 (62% decrease) when the laparoscopic technique replaced the conventional open method. A similar comparative study focused on appendectomy was performed with 20 patients in each group, and the costs were reduced by altogether 56%. The potential for decrease in health care costs seems to be substantial, even though requiring investments in equipment and education. Mini-invasive surgery not only improves the quality of surgical treatment, but also increases the efficacy of health care investments.