Cholecystectomy is the surgical removal of the gallbladder. The operation is done to remove the gallbladder due to gallstones causing infection or pain. Your gallbladder is removed using keyhole surgery.
Patients frequently experience nausea, bloating or a gassy feeling and pain in the upper abdomen, especially after eating certain foods.
Gallbladder disease is most often caused by gallstones which can be easily diagnosed/found by a sonogram – a painless test performed similar to an x-ray.
Once diagnosed, gallbladder disease can be taken care of with a minimally invasive procedure called laparoscopy. This is an operation done under general anaesthesia through four small “poke holes.” This procedure usually takes less than an hour to perform and the patient is usually discharged the same day.
Laparoscopic surgery allows for decreased pain, increased mobility and faster return to normal everyday life.
This benefits the patient with more complicated gallbladder disease and often avoids the need for a large incision on the abdomen. Recuperation time is much shorter with laparoscopic surgery.
The gallbladder is a very small organ under the right ribs and liver which helps with digestion.
Signs and symptoms of gallbladder disease often mimic HEARTBURN or INDIGESTION.
Under general anesthesia, so you are asleep throughout the procedure
Using a cannula (a narrow tube-like instrument), Mr. Athanasiou enters the abdomen in the area of the belly-button
A laparoscope (a tiny telescope) connected to a special camera is inserted through the cannula, giving Mr. Athanasiou a magnified view of your internal organs on a television screen.
Other cannulas are inserted which allow Mr. Athanasiou to delicately separate the gallbladder from its attachments and then remove it through one of the openings.
In select patients, Mr. Athanasiou performs and x-ray called a cholangiogram, to identify stones, which may be located in the bile channels, or to insure that structures have been identified.
If Mr. Athanasiou finds one or more stones in the common bile duct, he may remove them with a special scope, may choose to have them removed later through a second minimally invasive procedure.
After Mr. Athanasiou removes the gallbladder, the small incisions are closed with a stitch or two or with surgical tape.
The incidence of complications after cholecystectomy is relatively low, especially in experienced hands, but can include:
Following successful gallbladder surgery, people usually have minimal pain that is well controlled with medication. You will be discharged home with a prescription for pain medication. You will be able to eat a normal light diet on the day after surgery and may be able to return to light work in three to four days. It is preferable to avoid exertion and heavy work for a couple of weeks though one can take regular walks, showers, and ride in a car if necessary. Driving can be attempted several days post-operatively.
