Preface

**Section 4 Endoscopic Ultrasound and the Gallbladder 95**

Amir Houshang Mohammad Alizadeh

Chapter 9 **Robotic Approach to Cholecystectomy 125**

**Section 5 Cholecystectomy 111**

**VI** Contents

Chapter 7 **Endoscopic Ultrasonography (EUS) and Gallbladder 97**

Chapter 8 **Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in Special Situations 113** Natthawut Phothong and Atthaphorn Trakarnsanga

Kaylene Barrera, Paul Chung and Gainosuke Sugiyama

Gallbladder diseases are of the most prevalent digestive diseases worldwide. They result in considerable amount of financial and social burden. At the same time, clinical studies on these diseases continue to advance at a rapid pace.

The chapters in this book provide the state-of-the-art reviews on the current knowledge and advances in research and management of gallbladder diseases. This book includes the most recent advances in that field, particularly, the immunogenetic basis of cholecystitis, noncod‐ ing RNAs in gallbladder cancer, the diagnostic pitfalls and timing of management of acute cholecystitis, the incidental gallbladder cancer, the surgical management of gallbladder can‐ cer, laparoscopic cholecystectomy in special conditions, and robot-assisted cholecystectomy.

This book is written by recognized medical experts and researchers from North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. I wish to thank all the distinguished authors for their cooperation and desire to share their precious experience with the medical community. On their behalf, I wish to express hope that this publication will facilitate access to the latest scientific achieve‐ ments in the field of gallbladder diseases all across the world.

I am particularly thankful to Ana Pantar, Romina Rovan, and their colleagues at InTech, the publisher of one of the largest multidisciplinary open access collections of books covering the fields of science, for their expertise and support in bringing this edition to completion.

I would like to acknowledge the help of my colleagues at the National Liver Institute, Me‐ noufia University, Egypt, a dedicated center of excellence and a leading medical institution at the Middle East involved in the management of liver diseases and advanced training and research in hepatobiliary sciences.

> **Hesham Mohamed Abdeldayem** National Liver Institute Menoufia University Egypt

**Section 1**
