[Cholecystectomy by celioscopy. Apropos of 126 cases]

One hundred twenty-six cases who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy were included in the study: 28 males and 98 females with a mean age of 44.2 years. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed for uncomplicated cholelithiasis (111 cases), acute cholecystitis (10 cases), biliary pancreatitis (2 cases) and cholangitis (3 cases). The mean operative time was 78 minutes. In 7 cases, a transformation into open surgery was necessary (5.5%). There were no deaths and one major complication was reported: an iatrogenic injury to the bile duct requiring secondary laparotomy. The mean hospital stay was 3.4 days. However, despite several advantages, this new technique must be performed by a surgeon with experience of biliary tract surgery.