Until a decade ago, the prevailing surgical treatment of symptomatic gallstones was an open operation through an abdominal incision to remove the gallbladder.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a minimally-invasive surgical procedure that is performed using laparoscopic visualization of the gallbladder and surrounding vital structures. This technique requires that only a few small (about half-inch) incisions be made in the abdominal wall. The gallbladder is removed through one of the small incisions, the laparoscope and instruments are removed, and the incisions are closed with sutures and covered with small bandages. The operation usually requires general anesthesia and is subject to the same risks and complications as open cholecystectomy. However, patients have little pain after the operation, and hospital stays (1-2 days) and recovery (1-2 weeks) are usually shorter than after open cholecystectomy. It is estimated that more than 15,000 surgeons have received some training in the technique of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and demand for this form of surgery has escalated to the point where probably about 80 percent of cholecystectomies are being performed in this manner. Less