Results of various treatment modalities in the calculous cholecystitis

: Two alternative methods for the treatment of calculous cholecystitis are evaluated: extracorporeal lithotripsy was performed in 284 patients, laparoscopic cholecystectomy--in 130 patients. Even in strict selection of patients, lithotripsy was ineffective in 32 of them and they were subjected to an operation; in another group of patients elimination of the fragments from the gallbladder was incomplete. Therefore, extracorporeal lithotripsy may be used in no more than 10% of patients with cholelithiasis. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was conducted in 130 patients. In 6 (4.5%) of them the operation had to be completed by laparotomy because complications occurred during the laparoscopic intervention. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has some obvious advantages over open cholecystectomy: easier postoperative period, early activation of the patients, a good cosmetic effect. However, to determine the boundaries and possibilities of this method accumulation of experience is needed.