GALLBLADDER SURGERY: A SMALL INCISION SOLUTION TO A PAINFUL PROBLEM
Not too many years ago, gallbladder surgery meant a seven inch long cut into your abdomen, accompanied by several days in a hospital, and a long, sometimes painful, recovery at home that might last weeks. Today, surgeons at Albemarle Hospital take advantage of small incision surgery to remove the gallbladder laparoscopically – resulting in less trauma to the body, a faster recovery, and less pain and discomfort than traditional surgery.
The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ located under the liver, near the stomach. Its main function is to store and concentrate bile. Bile is produced by the liver, and helps digest fats in the food you eat.
Gallstones are the most common cause of gallbladder problems. They form when substances in the bile crystallize and become solid; they can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball. Gallstones can block the bile ducts, inflaming the gallbladder, and are the most common cause of gallbladder infection. They can also cause jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes due to a buildup of bile chemicals in the blood) and pancreatitis. Women, especially those who have had children, people over 40, and people who are either overweight or have experienced rapid weight loss are most at risk for developing gallstones.
Symptoms associated with gallbladder problem, often include nausea, vomiting, a feeling of being full or bloated, and pain in the right upper abdomen or back, or right shoulder pain. Ultrasound is the most common test used to evaluate your gallbladder; however, sometimes a CT scan or HIDA scan (which uses radioactive fluid to check gallbladder function) may be needed.
Seven out of 10 people who experience a gallbladder attack will experience another one. Therefore, physicians usually recommend gallbladder removal to prevent further symptoms and possible infection.
“The gallbladder is one of the unique organs that your body can do without, and most people have no long term effects from its removal. However, it is only removed when necessary,” said David Carter, M.D., a surgeon with Carolina Surgical Care in Elizabeth City, who operates at Albemarle Hospital. “Small incision surgery allows us to remove the gallbladder safely, effectively, and with minimal discomfort to the patient following surgery.”
In small incision gallbladder surgery, the surgeon operates through four small cuts, usually smaller than half an inch long, in the abdomen. A thin, lighted tube that allows the surgeon to see inside the body as he operates, called a laparoscope, is inserted in one of the incisions, while other tiny instruments are inserted through the remaining ones. The bile duct leading from the gallbladder is cut, and the gallbladder through one of the incisions. The surgeon usually performs a cholangiogram at the time of your gallbladder surgery. This is a dye exam of the bile ducts to make sure there are no gallstones that have left the gallbladder and gotten stuck. Patients usually go home the same day of the surgery. Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery is the most commonly method used to remove a gallbladder.
“If you suffer from gallstones, you know the pain that can accompany a gallbladder attack,” said Dr. Carter. “Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery is a common procedure – one we perform hundreds of times each year. It is a permanent solution to the pain, and because it is done as small incision surgery, the patient has a shorter hospital stay, reduced pain and discomfort, and a quicker recovery.”
If you think you may have gallstones, or other problems with your gallbladder, please ask your physician if gallbladder surgery at Albemarle Hospital might help you.
