Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a community experience.

Minimally invasive surgery appears to be gaining popularity, and removal of the gallbladder by laparoscopic methods is one such procedure for which there is recent enthusiasm. The concerns about safety, morbidity, and mortality in contrast to standard cholecystectomy are being evaluated. To address these concerns we reviewed the first 230 laparoscopic cholecystectomies done by one surgical group from October 1990 to September 1991. There were 161 women and 69 men with an average age of 50 years. The average length of stay was 2.1 days, most patients being discharged in 24 hours. Complications occurred in 14 patients (6%). The one death was unrelated to the gallbladder surgery. Operative cholangiograms were done as frequently as possible. It appears that laparoscopic cholecystectomy can be done safely and with a shorter hospital stay. Complications are similar to those seen with standard cholecystectomy.