Conversions and complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Results of a survey conducted by the French Society of Endoscopic Surgery and Interventional Radiology.

During 1991, 41 surgeons of the French Society of Endoscopic Surgery and Operative Radiology (SFCERO) performed 3,673 cholecystectome of which 2,955 were laparoscopic. Data for those patients in whom a conversion to laparotomy was necessary or a complication occurred were collected by a retrospective multicenter survey. Conversion was performed in 142 patients (4.8%): in 106 this was due to pathology in the subhepatic space; in 36 it was because of a complication related to the laparoscopy. There were 101 postoperative complications (morbidity 3.4%): 59 biliary and 42 non biliary complications and six deaths (mortality 0.2%). There were 18 bile duct injuries, one of which led to the death of the patient. Excluding conversions to laparotomy, these figures are comparable to those for open cholecystectomy. These results define the limits and advantages of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Conversion to laparotomy remains a wise option in cases of technical difficulty or doubtful biliary anatomy.