Abstract

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is now the treatment of choice for symptomatic gallstone disease. Beside it's great benefits, perhaps the most disappointing complication of this operation is missed malignancies. In this study, 7 patients who had missed malignancies that diagnosed shortly after LC, were studied. Demographic, semiologic, clinical and laboratory findings were analysed. Four patients had colon carcinoma and 3 patients had pancreas carcinoma. All patients complained of recent atypical pain at the time of LC and except 1 patient there were no symptomatic regression. This study emphasizes the necessity of making a careful semiological physical and laboratory analysis of the pain and associated symptoms before performing a LC, especially in the elderly patients.