Twelve hundred open cholecystectomies before the laparoscopic era. A standard for comparison
L. Morgenstern, L. Wong and G. Berci
Department of Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, Calif.
Records of 1200 consecutive open cholecystectomies, performed by a teaching
service of a large, urban hospital in the years immediately preceding the
laparoscopic era, were reviewed for morbidity and mortality rates. The
mortality rate in this series was 1.8%, chiefly in the older age groups.
Only two ductal injuries were incurred. A review of published series from
1952 through 1990 revealed a mean mortality rate of 1.53%. These recent
observations on the morbidity and mortality after open operation should
provide a useful standard of comparison with ongoing similar studies of
laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
