NATIONAL SURVEY ON LAPAROSCOPIC CHOLECYSTECTOMY IN SPAIN - RESULTS OFA MULTIINSTITUTIONAL STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE COMMITTEE-FOR-ENDOSCOPIC-SURGERY (ASSOCIACION-ESPANOLA-DE-CIRUJANOS)

We present a joint study conducted by the Committee for Endoscopic Sur gery in Spain. Sixty-nine surgeons reported 2,342 laparoscopic cholecy stectomies (LCs) performed until November 1999. The conversion rate wa s 5.1%. The overall morbidity was 7.1%. The biliary morbidity was 0.45 %: Seven severe bile duct injuries were recognized at laparoscopy (0.2 8%) and four lesions were postoperatively diagnosed (0.16%). Bile leak unrelated to bile duct lesion occurred in 14 patients (0.7%), leading to five reoperations. The mortality was 0.12% and was unrelated to th e laparoscopic approach in two cases. The risk factors for biliary com plications were obesity, previous history of jaundice, and previous ho spital admissions. Surgeon experience was defined by 50 LCs performed, and the overall complication rate presented a statistically significa nt relation to surgeon experience (P < 0.001).