ABSTRACT
The rapid acceptance of laparoscopic cholecystectomy as the gold standard for removal of the gallbladder has led general surgeons to embrace minimally invasive surgical procedures, yet laparoscopic techniques have been investigated since the early twentieth century, with early proof of applicability established by gynecologists and urologists. Eventually the drive to adapt the technology to general surgical procedures came not from the academic surgical arena, but from the private sector, spurred by public interest in and demand for its advantages: improved cosmesis, decreased pain, shorter hospital stays, and a quicker return to normal preoperative lifestyle. This rapid and nontraditional developmental pathway has led to questions concerning training requirements, credentialing, and review.
