title: Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: 'a procedure of choice'.
abstract: Over half a million open cholecystectomies are performed on American patients each year. However, laparoscopic cholecystectomy is becoming increasingly common after first being used by Saye and McKernan in 1988. Contraindications to the procedure may be previous extensive abdominal surgery, jaundice secondary to common duct stones and abdominal malignancy.