ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION The laparoscopic approach may be changing the field of hepatic surgery. Many traditional hepatobiliary procedures are now potentially feasible via the laparoscope. However, the data are not ‘‘in’’ yet. Liver surgery via the laparoscope is inherently dangerous owing to the complexity and vascularity of this organ. If one remembers back to the introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy and that procedure’s steep learning curve [1] (and the resultant attraction of hungry lawyers), just imagine the learning curve with laparoscopic hepatobiliary procedures! If experience plays a huge role in the development of one of the most common procedures done by general surgeons, what adjective can be used to describe the role of experience in hepatic surgery?
