This book, written by expert surgeons, offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of all aspects of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Coverage includes the indications for surgery, anesthesia, establishment of pneumoperitoneum, surgical technique, and the prevention and management of complications. Performance of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in the specific contexts of biliary tree stones and acute cholecystitis is described. Extensive reference is made to the latest clinical evidence, and the real benefits of the laparoscopic approach, for example in terms of outcomes and day surgery, are carefully assessed. New technologies, including SILS, NOTES, robotic surgery, and miniaturized instruments, are reviewed. The learning curve and training are also extensively discussed, and an individual chapter is devoted to the views of international experts in the field.

Some 20 years after the National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference first published recommendations regarding indications for laparoscopic cholecystectomy, it remains the gold standard approach and continues to evolve.