Laparoscopic cholecystectomy--how does it work and how long does it take?

In the present paper we report on our experience with laparoscopic cholecystectomy in 145 patients. The success rate was 95.2%; during the procedure, seven cases had to be converted to conventional laparotomy. During the study period, the duration of laparoscopic cholecystectomy decreased from 180 to 45 min.