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Alternative names for the same surgery are an open cholecystectomy (performed by making a larger incision to remove the organ), laparoscopic cholecystectomy (minimally invasive, as it is carried out with the help of viewing instruments), or just cholecystectomy.
Gallbladder removal is a surgery that removes an inflamed or obstructed gallbladder, especially if gallstones are causing pancreatitis, or if your doctor suspects that you could have cancer. [3]
A surgeon will perform gallbladder removal surgery, or a cholecystectomy, under general anesthesia, which means the patient is unconscious and pain-free. A doctor most commonly performs gallbladder removal is through four small incisions, with the use of a small video camera, called laparoscope. In laparoscopic surgery, the abdomen is inflated with carbon dioxide to provide more space for the surgeon to work. The doctor identifies the vessels and duct leading to the gallbladder, clips, and cuts, so he can remove the gallbladder is and close the incisions.[3]
In complicated cases, a surgeon may perform an open cholecystectomy. A larger incision is made just below the ribs on the right side of the abdomen, the vessels and ducts going to the gallbladder are identified, clipped, and cut, and the surgeon removes the gallbladder and closes incisions.[3]
When Is The Procedure Necessary?
Gallbladder removal is usually done to treat different gallbladder diseases, gallstones, infection or inflammation known as cholecystitis, gallbladder cancer, and biliary dyskinesia (abnormal gallbladder function).
Risk Factors Of Gallbladder Surgery
The risks of any surgical procedure involving general anesthesia include reactions to medications or problems with breathing, as well as the removal surgery itself. The risks for this surgery specifically include [4]:
- bleeding,
- infection,
- injury to the bile duct.
However, most patients tolerate the procedure well, recover rapidly, and quickly return to their daily routines even without their gallbladder.
Convalescence And Recovery
For open gallbladder removal, most patients need to spend between three and five days in a hospital. For laparoscopic gallbladder surgery, a patient's hospital stay is likely to be shorter, and they will be at home within 24 hours. The outcome of a cholecystectomy is usually good, and symptoms are relieved completely in about 90% of the patients who undergo gallbladder removal.[3]
Your gallbladder removal recovery period depends on the mode of surgery employed:
- laparoscopic cholecystectomy patients need approximately two weeks to return to their normal daily activities,
- while those who had open gallbladder removal may require as much as six weeks.
Injuries from a new procedure to remove gallbladders are lower than previously reported in the media. The higher injury rates that media previously reported were based on inaccurate inferences of bile duct injuries from hospital administrative records. Media reports had wrongly indicated the rate of bile duct injury from both laparoscopic and open surgical gallbladder removal has tripled from 0.3 percent to 0.9 percent from 1991 to 1995.[5]
However, studies do indicate that approximately 30 percent of people who have had their gallbladder removed continue to suffer from diarrhea, even once the immediate recovery period has passed. While people suffering from gallbladder disease are routinely advised to adhere to a low-fat diet, there are no such restrictions on those who have already had a cholecystectomy. Despite that, many find that they can prevent diarrhea and abdominal discomfort by following a cholecystectomy diet. The cholecystectomy diet is a low-fat diet in which patient should avoid processed and spicy foods, and eat smaller meals more frequently. Following this diet will help you during your recovery period and beyond.[6]