Objective: Documentation of current biliary surgical practices of surgeons in India.
Methods: A postal questionnaire survey of the consultants in surgery in all the medical colleges in India was done to establish their current practice regarding cholecystectomy and to assess the influence of recent studies on their practice.
Results: The response rate was 23% (264/1127). About half of the surgeons did both ultrasonography and oral cholecystography for the diagnosis of cholelithiasis. Acute cholecystitis was managed conservatively by 80% of surgeons. Antibiotics were used by all surgeons but 87% of them used antibiotics for more than one day. Peroperative cholangiography was done in all cases by 20% of those who had the facilities available. Incidental appendectomy was done by 26% of surgeons. Drain was used in all cases by 78% of surgeons. Patients were discharged after suture removal by 77% of surgeons.
Conclusions: The practices of the Indian surgeon surveyed were against the recommendations in current literature which did not seem to have had much impact on them regarding their practice of biliary surgery.