title: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: the Japanese experience.
abstract: We investigated the current status of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Japan. A retrospective survey of laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed involving 1989 patients from eight Japanese institutions. The preoperative work-up and the operative technique were largely identical to those in the United States. Conversion to open cholecystectomy was required in 54 patients (2.7%) because of unexpected intraoperative findings such as inflammation and adhesions in 40 patients (2.0%) and intraoperative complications in 14 patients (0.7%). There were no deaths, and postoperative complications occurred in 34 of 1935 patients (1.75%) in whom laparoscopic cholecystectomy was completed. Only 10 patients (0.51%) had serious complications (hemorrhage and bile duct injury, for example) that required laparotomy. The incidence of bile duct injury was 11 of 1989 (0.55%). We conclude that the adoption of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Japan has been highly successful.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sakai
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohtomo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sakuramachi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamashita
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ido
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kitano
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yazaki
mesh_terms: D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000601:surgery*; D000075202:Contraindications; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012189:Retrospective Studies