[Laparoscopic surgery--where do we stand?]

Owing to the rapid advances in laparoscopic surgery during the past decade, almost all abdominal surgery has now been done with laparoscopic or laparoscopy-assisted procedures. However, there is still no international consensus as to the indications for the general use of laparoscopic surgery, as compared with open surgery, and the hitherto insufficient analysis of the economic consequences of transition to laparoscopic surgery. There is also a lack of good comparative studies of open surgery and laparoscopic surgery performed in the context of optimised multimodal perioperative treatment with adequate pain relief, early oral nutrition and mobilisation, and recommendations for shortened absence from work.