Laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Consensus conference-based guidelines

Abstract Introduction Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the gold standard technique for gallbladder diseases in both acute and elective surgery. Nevertheless, reports from national surveys still seem to represent some doubts regarding its diffusion. There is neither a wide consensus on its indications nor on its possible related morbidity. On the other hand, more than 25 years have passed since the introduction of LC, and we haveallwitnessedtheexponentialgrowthofknowledge,skill and technology that has followed it. In 1995, the EAES published its consensus statement on laparoscopic cholecystectomy in which seven main questions were answered, according totheavailableevidence.Duringthefollowing20years,there have been several additional guidelines on LC, mainly focused on some particular aspect, such as emergency or concomitant biliary tract surgery. Methods In 2012, several Italian surgical societies decided to revisit the clinical recommendations for the role oflaparoscopyinthetreatmentofgallbladder diseasesinadults,toupdate andsupplementtheexistingguidelineswithrecommendations that reflect what is known and what constitutes good practice concerning LC. Keywords Cholecystectomy .Laparoscopy .Guidelines . Consensusconference Introduction Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (LC) is the gold standard technique for gallbladder disease in both acute and elective surgery.Nevertheless,reportsfromnationalsurveysstillsee