Laparoscopic biliary surgery

The following article briefly sets out the possible new protocols that can be applied in biliary pathology, arising from the changes brought about by the appearance of new techniques of laparoscopic biliary surgery. It offers a synthesis of the latest and most novel articles on surgical technique and management in different biliary pathologies such as choledocholithiasis and cholecystitis. It can be concluded that management will differ greatly, depending on the technical capacities of the centre that is called upon to deal with one of these pathologies. A standard protocol for everybody cannot thus be established at present. The differences between endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and intraoperative laparoscopic cholangiography have still to be demonstrated, it is not possible to make generalisations about whether one technique is more useful than the other. The same could be said about whether access to the main biliary path should be achieved through the cystic conduct or whether, on the contrary, a choledochotomy should be performed.