Reflections on the birth and on the concept of laparoscopic surgery.- Epidemiology of biliary lithiasis.- Pathophysiology of cholesterol gallstone disease.- Classification, composition and structure of gallstones. Relevance of these parameters for clinical presentation and treatment.- Natural history of biliary lithiasis.- Preoperative noninvasive imaging.- Three-dimensional imaging.- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography and endoscopic ultrasound.- Pre- and intra-operative diagnostic fibrocholangioscopy.- Intraoperative cholangiography.- Laparoscopic ultrasound during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.- Diagnostic flow charts for biliary lithiasis.- Medical treatment of gallstone disease.- Surgical treatment of cholelithiasis: exclusion criteria.- Anaesthesia in biliary lithiasis.- Cholecystectomy techniques.- Robot-Assisted cholecystectomy.- Day surgery laparoscopic cholecystectomy.- Diagnosis and treatment of acute cholecystitis.- Incidental carcinoma of the gallbladder.- Complications of laparoscopic cholecystectomy.- Clinical pictures of common bile duct stones.- Synchronous Treatment by laparotomy.-Cholecystocholedocholithiasis: two-stage treatment.- Synchronous laparoscopic treatment.- Rendez-vous technique.- Flow chart for the treatment of common bile duct stones and critical comparison of techniques.- Common bile duct stones in cholecystectomized patients.- Acute biliary pancreatitis.- Mirizzi syndrome.- Biliary lithiasis in children.- Biliary lithiasis in pregnancy.- Biliary lithiasis and obesity.- Biliary lithiasis in patients with gastroesophageal reflux (acid and alkaline).- Hepatic cirrhosis and biliary stones.- Biliary stones and gastrectomy.- Biliary ileus.- Clinical pictures of intrahepatic lithiasis.- Treatment of intrahepatic lithiasis.- Extracorporeal shock wave treatment of gallbladder stones.- Shock wave for main bile duct stones.-Acute gallstone cholangitis: clinical pictures, diagnosis and treatment.- Subjectindex.