When would I need gallbladder surgery?
You may need surgery to remove your gallbladder, called a cholecystectomy, when you develop gallstones or cholecystitis. When these conditions cause symptoms, they won’t get better on their own and can lead to complications. For these reasons, the first line of treatment is surgery to remove the gallbladder.
If the stones leave the gallbladder, they can block the duct to the pancreas. This may cause an inflamed pancreas. Pancreatitis is a serious complication that needs immediate medical attention.
Gallstones
Bile contains substances like cholesterol and bile acids that can bind together and turn into hard stones. Gallstones usually don’t cause symptoms until they block the opening to the bile duct. Then bile backs up inside the gallbladder, causing inflammation and infection. This condition is called cholecystitis.
Cholecystitis
In addition to gallstones, other causes of cholecystitis include an infection in the bile ducts or a tumor that blocks the ducts. Cholecystitis damages the gallbladder, and without treatment, it can cause the gallbladder to burst.
What symptoms indicate I may need gallbladder surgery?
Gallstones cause symptoms such as:
- Sudden, intense pain in your upper right abdomen
- Sudden pain in the center of your abdomen
- Sudden back pain between your shoulder blades
- Pain after eating a high-fat meal
- Jaundice (yellow eyes and skin)
- Pain in your right shoulder
- Nausea and vomiting
- Dark urine
- Pale stool
Cholecystitis causes the same type of pain along with a fever.
Does removing my gallbladder cause health problems?
Your liver produces bile and sends it to the gallbladder. The gallbladder stores the bile until you eat foods containing fats, then it releases the bile into the common bile duct. The duct carries bile to your small intestine, where it helps to digest the fats.
You can stay healthy and keep digesting fats normally even if you need to have your gallbladder removed. When this organ is gone, bile simply flows from the liver directly into the small intestine.
What happens during gallbladder surgery?
Dr. Madni performs a cholecystectomy using minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. This technique uses a few small incisions and specialized instruments made to fit through the incisions.
The laparoscope is equipped with lighting and a video camera that transmits images from inside your body to a monitor. The laparoscope goes through one incision while the tools needed for your procedure are inserted through the others. Dr. Madni manipulates the tools from outside your body while viewing the monitor.
Dr. Madni specializes in da Vinci robot-assisted surgery. This is also a laparoscopic procedure, but Dr. Madni controls robotic arms that hold the surgical instruments. The robotic system allows greater precision and a better range of motion than can be obtained with human hands.
If you have questions about gallbladder surgery, call Dina Madni, MD, or book an appointment online today.
