Videolaparoscopy complications in the management of biliary diseases

BACKGROUND: The treatment of choice for diseases affecting the gallbladder is the cholecystectomy, whose aim is improvement of symptoms, treatment and/or prevention of complications. AIM: Identify the main complications with laparoscopic surgery used to treat diseases affecting the gallbladder and the bile ducts. METHODS: An internet search in the LILACS and Medline database covering the period from 1981 up to August 2007 was carried out and 57 studies were found relevant. The present work draws on 31 of these studies and one textbook chapter. RESULTS: The analysis of the content of the studies selected yielded the following thematic issues: anatomic variations (3 studies), iatrogenies (5 studies), post-cholecystectomy syndrome (1 study), rare complications (3 studies), Mirizzi's syndrome (1 study), pulmonary complications (5 studies) and treatment (1 chapter of a medicine textbook and 3 studies). CONCLUSIONS: The complications arising from the videolaparoscopic surgery of the gallbladder and bile ducts are fundamentally due to two factors: the surgeon's lack of training in the laparoscopic technique (learning curve), and the unexpected anatomic variations, which even experienced surgeons may face.