Operative Management of Cholecystitis and Cholelithiasis
With an annual rate of greater than a quarter of a million hospital admissions and an associated cost of greater than two billion dollars, cholelithiasis and cholecystitis have a tremendous impact on the health care system. Their diagnosis and associated symptoms are one of the most common reasons for clinic visits and the second most common reason for gastrointestinal-related hospital admissions in the United States. Minimally invasive surgery has revolutionized the way these patients are managed. This technique provides a safe and effective therapy that also results in reduced wound-related complications compared with open cholecystectomy. This enhanced recovery has made the laparoscopic cholecystectomy one of the most commonly performed abdominal surgeries in the United States, with more than 500,000 performed each year.
