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Background: Overall, 5% to 15% of patients undergoing cholecystectomy for cholelithiasis have concomitant bile duct stones, and the incidence of choledocholithiasis increases with age. Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with consequent Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (LC) has been the favored approach for the treatment of choledo-cholithiasis for quite a long time; however in the course of recent years, Laparoscopic Common Bile Duct Exploration (LCBDE) has been offered to patients with suspected choledo-cholithiasis.Aim of Study: The aim of this work is to compare the efficacy, safety, and the surgical outcomes of LCBDE with ERCP followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy and deter-mine the most appropriate approach for patients with choledo-cholithiasis.Patients and Methods: A prospective randomized clinical study was carried out from March 2017 to September 2018. It included 50 patients with cholecysto-choledocholithiasis who were divided into two groups: Group A (25 patients) included patients who underwent laparoscopic transcystic common bile duct exploration and stone extraction with LC in one stage, and Group B (25 patients) included patients who underwent endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography for CBD stone extraction followed by LC in two stages. The Common Bile Duct (CBD) stone clearance rate, post-operative bile leakage, post-operative morbidity, mortality, overall hospital stay, and patient satisfaction were analyzed.Results: LCBDE and ERCP+LC were similar in terms of clearance rate, operative time postoperative complications, retained CBD stones, and postoperative length of stay, but there was a significant difference in number of procedures and patient satisfaction.Conclusion: Although both approaches have equivalent success rates, LCBDE is better in terms of fewer procedures, and better satisfaction compared with ERCP + LC. Our study suggests that one-stage management is the treatment of choice for patients with cholecystocholedocholithiasis.

Background The two standard methods for inguinal hernioplasty is open and minimal access laparoscopic technique. Most laparoscopic surgeons use a transabdominal preperitoneal approach but totally extraperitoneal (TEP) approach potentially offers several advantages. Objective The aim in this study was to assess the learning curve, cost value, safety, and feasibility of TEP approach. Patients and methods Prospectively collected data on 185 consecutive patients submitted to laparoscopic TEP hernioplasty for inguinal hernia from 2016 to 2018 in Theodor Bilharz Research Institute Hospital. This study involved repair of primary, recurrent inguinal hernia and femoral hernia. The prolene mesh was used for groin hernia repair in all cases with and without fixation. Results All 185 cases started with the laparoscopic TEP technique with only four cases converted to transabdominal preperitoneal technique (2.1%). In 110 (60.7%) cases the mesh was placed without fixation. In 71 cases the mesh was fixed by Tackers or Histoacryl. In unilateral hernia, the mean operating time was 45 min, while in bilateral hernia it was 61 min. Intraoperative complications included three cases of inferior epigastric vessel injury which were managed by metallic clips of 5 mm. The mean pain score was 7.5, while the mean satisfaction score was 5.4. The mean hospital stay was 16.4 h. Regarding postoperative complications, 10 (5.5%) patients developed a postoperative seroma, four (2.1%) patients developed a hematoma, two (1.1%) patients developed a hydrocele, and five (2.7%) patients experienced neuropathic pain. There were three (1.1%) recurrent cases; all these cases were managed by open hernioplasty. Conclusion In this study, the laparoscopic TEP approach is found to be an effective, and safe technique regarding primary, recurrent open inguinal and femoral hernias with good learning curve to laparoscopic surgeon who started with transabdominal preperitoneal technique technique.