Live Life Team
Removal of gallbladder by surgery is called cholecystectomy.The gallbladder is a small, pear shaped organ that stores bile. Bile is a digestive fluid that helps in breaking of fat and is produced by the liver. The bile duct carries bile from gallbladder to intestine. Cholecystectomy is performed in two ways
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy
This is the most common process for removal of gallbladder. It is also known as keyhole surgery. The surgeon removes the gallbladder without making a large incision in the body. The patient need not stay for long in the hospital and also recovers quickly.
Open cholecystectomy
The surgeon makes a 5 to 8 inch incision to remove the gallbladder during this process. It is a safe process and one needs to stay in the hospital for 4 to 5 days. The patient needs several weeks to recover after being operated.
Why is gallbladder removal needed,
Gallstones discovered must be removed if symptoms arise. The symptoms are listed below
Biliary colic-If the gallstone passes to intestine or gets stuck in the narrow neck of gallbladder it causes biliary colic. In this condition the patient gets pain and feels similar to severe indigestion
Cholecystitis-The presence of gallstones can cause inflammation in the gallbladder. Pain occurs below the ribs, right side of shoulder and in the back. It may also cause nausea, vomiting and fever.
Acute pancreatitis-In this condition a small gallstone blocks a pancreatic duct causing bile to flow back into this duct.
Obstructive jaundice-Blocking of bile duct by a gallstone leads to Obstructive jaundice.
How long one needs to wait for the surgery,
One needs to wait for a few months before the operation. It also depends upon the severity of the situation.
Why is it recommended to have open surgery instead of keyhole surgery,
If the gallbladder is severely inflamed, an open surgery is recommended. It becomes dangerous to remove with laparoscopic cholecystectomy .If complications arise during keyhole surgery; it is turned to open surgery.
Risks
The removal of gallbladder is a safe procedure. Some complications may arise after the surgery. If the possible complications listed below arise one need to stay in the hospital for longer period and further surgery or procedures may be required.
-Bleeding: The blood pressure and pulse is closely monitored after the surgery to detect this problem. If bleeding occurs, it needs to be operated once again. This condition arises very rarely.
-Infection: Simple infections can be treated using antibiotic. Any infected fluid needs to be drained out of the tummy. This is usually done providing a local anaesthetic.
Bile leakage: Sometimes bile fluid leaks out inspite of special clips put on the tube connecting the gallbladder to the main bile duct draining the liver.
-Injury to the bile duct: This is a rare complication and needs to be repaired immediately.
-Injury to intestine, bowel and blood vessels: This happens when the keyhole instruments are inserted and the gallbladder is freed. This injury is generally seen and repaired at the time of the operation, but sometimes it becomes clear in the early post-operative period. In such case, a further operation is required. This is generally performed as a keyhole operation, but needs to be converted to an open operation if necessary.
