Laparoscopic techniques can be used to remove the gallbladder using a 4-6 cm transverse incision instead of the usual approach of abdominal cannulae. A specially designed ring retractor is used to expose the gall bladder.
As with laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the gallbladder is dissected out with a diathermy hook, a peroperative cholangiogram is performed, and the cystic duct and artery are ligated or clipped.
Patients are in hospital for a mean of 1.5 days and are said to need less analgesia than following equivalent open cholecystectomy.
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