Prof Dr Med Erich Mühe, Germany, performed the rst laparoscopic cholecystectomy on September 12, 1985. The German Surgical Society rejected Mühe in 1986 after he reported that he had performed the rst laparoscopic cholecystectomy, yet in 1992 he received their highest award, the German Surgical Society Anniversary Award.
He performed 94 such procedures before another surgeon, Phillipe Mouret of Lyon, France, performed his rst laparoscopic cholecystectomy in 1987, followed by Francois Dubois of Paris, France, in 1988. In several instances, the literature gives the French credit for developing the laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedure. In 1990 in Atlanta, at the Society of American Gastrointestinal Surgeons (SAGES) Convention, Perissat, Berci, Cuschieri, Dubois, and Mouret were recognized by SAGES for performing early laparoscopic cholecystectomies, but Mühe was not. However, in 1999 he was recognized by SAGES for having performed the rst laparoscopic cholecystectomy–SAGES invited Mühe to present the Storz Lecture. In Mühe’s presentation, titled “The First Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy,” which he gave in March 1999 in San Antonio, Texas, he described the rst procedure. Finally, Mühe had received the worldwide acclaim that he deserved for his pioneering work.
