Juraj Bober
In the modern era laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become widely accepted by surgeons as a routine method of surgical treatment for cholelithiasis. The fear of problematic operation has been diminished among patients as well. Many questions of laparoscopic cholecystectomy have been already solved. However, definite approach to some special problems and rare situations remains to be elucidated.Our operating team performed 2763 laparoscopic cholecystectomies during 11 - year- period (1992 - 2002) at the Ist Dept. of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Šafarik in Košice. Thorough analysis was applied to the subgroup of patients operated during years 2000 – 2002. The ratio of laparoscopic to open cholecystectomies gradually increased to reach 91.1 % in 2002 along with the decrease in conversion rate to 3.52 %. Neither biliary lesion nor intractable bleeding necessitated conversion to open operation during this period.The advantages of laparoscopic cholecystectomy have persuaded even the most conservative surgeons. There is no other couple of operations showing so great difference in the technique as well as economical cost – benefit as laparoscopic and classic cholecystectomy.Since the treatment of common bileduct stones has become the major field of activity of endoscopists, surgeons do intervene in only a small subset of patients.