Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery-General Surgery

GALLBLADDER SURGERY

Over 600,000 people have gallstones.  More women then men develop gallstones.  So what are gallstones and how to you treat its symptoms?

Gallstones are hard stones made of cholesterol and other substances that form in the gallbladder.   Normally bile drains from the liver and is held in a small bag, your gallbladder.  After you eat the gallbladder contracts and the bile helps to digest your food in the small intestine.  Depending on your diet, ethnicity, cholesterol levels, and other factors stones may develop.

Gallstones may be as small as a grain of sand or as large as 2.5 in. (6.35 cm) in diameter.   Most people who have gallstones do not have any symptoms. If gallstones do not cause symptoms, treatment is not needed. The main symptom is pain in the upper right area or upper midsection (epigastric area) of the abdomen.  Pain usually occurs ½ hour after eating a large meal.  Pain from gallstones may vary in intensity, and may even cause vomiting.

Gallstones that cause symptoms are treated with surgery to remove the gallbladder. Nearly 90% of people who had typical gallstone pain no longer have symptoms after surgery. 

Laparoscopic surgery can be performed to remove the gallbladder (cholecystectomy).   Four small incisions are made 0.25 in. to 0.5 in.  length for the instruments and a camera in the abdomen. The abdominal cavity is inflated with air or carbon dioxide so the surgeon can see the internal organs.

During the surgery, a procedure called  Intraoperative cholangiography is done.  This allows the doctor to detect gallstones in the common bile duct. It also allows the doctor to view the anatomy of the bile ducts before removing the gallbladder.

After surgery, bile flows from the liver (where it is produced) directly into the small intestine.  In most people, this has little or no effect on digestion.  Some immediate after surgery effects are diarrhea, right shoulder pain, and generalized muscle aches.

If you think you might be suffering from gallstones and would like more information on how to diagnose this aliment please call the office of Dr. Mark E. Petrites, General and Vascular Surgeon 239-495-3990

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