Laparoscopic procedures

Laparoscopic procedures are increasingly used in clinical surgery because of significantly faster convalescence than occurs with open surgery. These advances have been facilitated not least by modern gastroenterological procedures and the co-operation between surgeons and gastroenterologists. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the most evident example of such surgery. The widespread use of this minimally invasive approach was essentially made possible by the availability of endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) and ERT, since the laparoscopic removal of bile duct stones is still difficult and not always reliable. Further instances of so-called ‘therapeutic splitting’ are palliative procedures and the combined endoscopic/endoluminal and laparoscopic/intracavitary approach in cases of early cancer. Additionally, laparoscopic procedures are described that might be a surgical alternative to medical treatment (e.g. fundoplication and cardiomyotomy).