ABSTRACT
I. INTRODUCTION Gallstone disease is a common human ailment---over 1 million new cases are diagnosed per year. Approximately 10% of the American population have gallstones, with the incidence as high as 75% in some female ethnic populations. The first cholecystectomy, utilizing mjnimally invasive techniques, was performed in 1985 by E. Muhe of Germany. The French gynecologist Phillipe Mouret further developed the technique, and it is he who is credited with popularizing the technique in Europe. Following acceptance of the procedure in Europe, private practice physicians and then academicians in the United States embraced the new approach to gall bladder removal and started performing the operation at rates unprecedented in American surgery. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is now considered the gold standard therapy for symptomatic cholelithiasis.
