Gallbladder Surgery
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Gallbladder surgery is one of the most common surgeries performed in America. Nearly 370,000 are done every year. The surgery is called cholecystectomy. The gallbladder sits underneath the liver and is attached to the liver with thin membranes. It helps store the bile that the liver produces. After removal of the gallbladder, your body learns to live without it and produces bile when you need it
The surgery is very safe and nationally the complication rate is less than 0.3%. The majority of these surgeries are performed using minimally invasive techniques as an outpatient and the patient goes home the same day. |
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What are Gallstones and can these cause other complications?
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What are Gallstones? Gallstones form in the gallbladder due to changes in the balance of the cholesterol and bile acids. This maybe due to weight gain, pregnancy, aging, or losing a significant amount of weight too quickly as in after fat loss surgery. These gallstones sometimes can cause pain. Although up to 40% of the population may have gallstones, only a small percentage of them will experience symptoms such as pain from them.There is a system of tubes that connects the gallbladder, liver, and pancreas to your bowel (intestines). This system is a one-way road. If you have symptoms from the gallstones then it’s called symptomatic cholelithiasis.
If the stone blocks the gallbladder from emptying, then the gallbladder can become inflamed and infected. This is called cholecystitis. If the stones pass from the gallbladder to the common tubes, this can cause inflammation and infection of everything behind. When the stone is in the common duct, it’s called choledocholithiasis. This can cause inflammation of the liver (hepatitis) or pancreas (pancreatitis) or the common system (cholangitis). These can be life threatening and you may need emergency surgery. |
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When would you need gallbladder surgery?
The surgery performed to remove the gallbladder is called cholecystectomy. The surgery is typically done for the following reasons:
- Pain from the gallstones
- Gallbladder infection
- Gallstones causing hepatitis or pancreatitis.
- Gallstones blocking the main ducts.
What are the risks of surgery?
The surgery is most commonly (98%) performed laparoscopically. This is a minimally invasive procedure that typically takes about an hour. The risks of surgery are as follows:
The possibility of risks is very minimal and the healthier you are, the less risks there are. Sometimes a laparoscopic procedure needs to be converted to an open procedure where the surgeon makes a bigger incision. This is done if there is severe inflammation around the gallbladder that makes it hard to see the operative area using the laparoscope. Our conversion rate to open surgery is less than 1%.
- Infection at the incisions
- Hernias at the incisions
- Bleeding
- Injury to the organs or common channels around the gallbladder
- Risk of anesthesia
- Blood clots
- Bile leaks from the clips falling off.
The possibility of risks is very minimal and the healthier you are, the less risks there are. Sometimes a laparoscopic procedure needs to be converted to an open procedure where the surgeon makes a bigger incision. This is done if there is severe inflammation around the gallbladder that makes it hard to see the operative area using the laparoscope. Our conversion rate to open surgery is less than 1%.
What is the procedure?
Minimally invasive surgery is performed with very small incisions. First the anatomy of the gallbladder and surrounding structures is identified. The gallbladder is then removed with precision using laparoscopic or robotic instruments. The incisions are then closed.
