NONOPERATIVE TREATMENT OF BILIARY-TRACT DISEASE

The rise of minimally invasive surgical techniques during the past 20 years has been one of the more dramatic developments in modem medicine . Minimally invasive procedures are now widely accepted for treatment of diseases involving many different organ systems. Minimally invasive procedures may be more common and more accepted in the treatment of d iseases of the biliary tract than in any other area. The. development of laparoscopic cholecystectomy serves as a benchmark for minimally in vasive procedures, and it is now the standard of care for the treatmen t of cholelithiasis. Today, not only is laparoscopic cholecystectomy o ne of the most common operations performed in the United States, but m any new techniques have, been developed that allow minimally invasive treatment of a variety of biliary tract diseases. The development of n onoperative techniques for treatment of biliary tract disease has acco mpanied the rapid developments in minimally invasive surgical techniqu es. This article describes the nonoperative treatment of biliary tract disease.