title: Laparoscopic laser cholecystectomy. A comparison with mini-lap cholecystectomy.
abstract: The standard treatment of cholelithiasis in the United States is surgical removal of the gallbladder, but this treatment often has a major economic impact on the patient: major surgery, lengthy hospitalization, and several weeks' absence from work. Because of this economic factor, there has been a movement toward non-invasive methods, but they, too, have their drawbacks: long-term medical therapy; a high risk of stone recurrence because the diseased gallbladder is still in place. We therefore developed a means of performing a cholecystectomy through a laparoscope using laser technology, the results of which are compared here with the results in a series of "mini-lap" cholecystectomies that we also performed during the same time period.
authors.affiliation: HCA Center for Research and Education, Nashville, TN 37203.
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Reddick
authors.forename: D O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Olsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002763:Cholecystectomy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000379:methods*; D053685:Laser Therapy / Q000379:methods; D007902:Length of Stay; D011183:Postoperative Complications