Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Jordan

This study was conducted on 100 patients with symptomatic gallbladder stones, aged 22-81 years with a mean of 51.5 years, who underwent cholecystectomy in Zarqa city, Jordan between July 1998 and July 1999. The success rate was 87% and the procedure was completed using the conventional method in 13 patients. The mean operative time was 60 minutes, complication rate was 5% and there were no deaths. The mean hospital stay was 1 day and mean time to return to work was 10 days. This study showed that laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe procedure with reasonable operative time, less postoperative pain, a short hospital stay, early return to work, and a low morbidity and mortality rate.