The gallbladder is located under the liver in the upper right portion of your abdomen. Bile secreted by the liver is stored in the gallbladder. When you eat fatty foods, the bile is released from the gallbladder to the intestine to aid in digestion. Sometimes stones develop in the gallbladder, interfering with proper function. The majority of gallstones are caused by too much cholesterol in the bile.
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A cholecystectomy (removal of the gallbladder) is done when the gallbladder becomes infected or when gallstones are present, causing symptoms. More than 500,000 Americans undergo gallbladder surgery each year. Once the organ is removed, the main bile duct takes over the function of the gallbladder by carrying more bile from the liver during digestion.
Removal of the gallbladder is a safe and effective procedure to eliminate gallstones. The procedure is performed under general anesthesia, sometimes requiring a hospital stay of one or more nights. In most cases patients go home the same day. You will meet with your anesthesiologist prior to surgery and on the day of the procedure to address any questions or concerns. The surgery generally takes one to two hours to complete.
The most common way to remove the gallbladder is called laparoscopic cholecystectomy; an operation on the abdomen using small incisions.
The benefits of a laparoscopic cholecystectomy are similar to other minimally invasive surgeries:
Read this guide to learn more about laparoscopic gallbladder removal.
When laparoscopic cholecystectomy is not feasible due to a patient's anatomy, inflammation of the gallbladder or other reasons, an open cholecystectomy will be performed. In this procedure, the gallbladder is removed through a surgical incision high in the right abdomen, just beneath the ribs. Patients will usually be in the hospital two to three days, with a return to regular activities in two to three weeks.
Occasionally, the need to perform open cholecystectomy will become apparent after starting with the laparoscopic approach. At this point the procedure can be converted to the open procedure. In rare situations, the gallbladder cannot be removed safely and may require another operation on another day: this occurs in less than one in 100 patients.
Complications during or following cholecystectomy are rare. Possible risks associated with the surgery include:
If you have questions or problems, do not hesitate to contact your surgeon's office. The following symptoms are reasons to contact our office immediately: