Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a review of 258 patients.

Between Apr. 18, 1990, and Apr. 26, 1991, 258 patients were treated for symptomatic cholelithiasis by laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In 252 patients the diagnosis was chronic calculous cholecystitis, in 3 acute cholecystitis and in 3 hydrops of the gallbladder. There were no deaths. Major complications occurred early in the study--one patient suffered a cardiac arrest because of gas embolism and one had leakage from the stump of the cystic duct, which was treated by percutaneous drainage. Both patients recovered without further complications. The hospital stay averaged 2.9 days. The authors discuss important technical points for the safe performance of laparoscopic cholecystectomy and consider the results obtained by leading groups in the field and by one multicentre survey in the United States. Almost 25,000 cases of laparoscopic cholecystectomy are evaluated.