A worldwide overview of emergency laparoscopic procedures

Laparoscopy has become a common procedure in elective surgery worldwide. Actually, it can be considered the preferred surgical approach in various diseases, due to its sure advantages. The last decade has been characterized by the increasing numbers of surgeons trained to a high standard in minimally invasive surgery and by the validation of laparoscopic procedures in emergency surgery. However, despite the undisputed advantages of laparoscopy (such as the shorter hospital stay, the faster recovery, and the less morbidity), the advances in technology, and a structured training for young surgeon that have stimulated the spread of the laparoscopic procedure in the world, the perception has hovered for many years that laparoscopic surgery should remain the preferred approach only in case of elective fields.