[Evaluation of cholecystectomy by celioscopy. Apropos of a series of 500 operated patients in a general hospital unit].

A series of 500 patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy is reported. The mean duration of the operation was 46 minutes when completed laparoscopically and 117 minutes when converted to laparotomy. The conversion rate was 10%, and the reoperation rate 2.22%. There were 5 problems related to the bile ducts (1%) including 2 lesions of the common bile duct (0.44%) with only in 21 cases. In one, a stone in the common duct was extracted laparoscopically. Mean hospitalization was 5.5 days. For us, laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become the "gold standard" for the treatment of symptomatic uncomplicated bile stone disease. Reduced hospitalization time should help reduce cost incurred due to the video surgery material.