The role of the gallbladder is to concentrate bile before releasing it into the digestive system during meals. Bile travels through the bile ducts to the duodenum and helps in the absorption of fats.
Diseases that may develop due to gallbladder stones:
Gallstones that form in the gallbladder and are discovered incidentally and do not cause any problems do not require treatment. However, gallstones that form in the gallbladder and sometimes in the bile ducts can lead to issues such as inflammation of the gallbladder, inflammation of the bile ducts, bile duct obstruction (choledocholithiasis), and inflammation of the pancreas. As a result, there might be abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and sometimes fever, indicating inflammation and severe infectious complications. Therefore, it is recommended to undergo gallbladder removal surgery, even in cases with minimal complaints.
Gallbladder removal surgery:
Gallbladder removal surgery has been proven over the years to be the safest and most effective way to treat diseases caused by gallstones. During the surgery, the gallbladder is completely removed, along with the stones inside it. There are two surgical approaches:
Open surgery: This is the traditional approach for gallbladder removal, in which an incision is made in the upper abdomen and the gallbladder is cut and removed. The drawbacks of this approach include a large incision that requires extended hospitalization and management of postoperative pain and other complications associated with the long incision.
Laparoscopic surgery: This method involves removing the gallbladder without a large incision and opening the abdomen. In laparoscopic surgery, the abdomen is inflated with gas (which is absorbed later), and a video camera is inserted. Additional instruments are passed through small incisions. Under visual guidance, the gallbladder is separated from the liver tissue, blood vessels, and bile duct and extracted through one of the incisions.
Unlike open surgery, the recovery after laparoscopic surgery is quick, and usually, the hospital stay is only one day. The level of postoperative pain is low since there is no large incision in the upper abdomen, and the incisions are very small compared to regular surgery. Most patients can return to work after a few days of rest at home.
In a small percentage of cases, technical difficulties during laparoscopic surgery may lead to the need for an open procedure.
Complications during and after the surgery are rare but may require different levels of intervention, from short-term antibiotic treatment in case of a surgical site infection to further surgery for bile duct reconstruction due to injury during the procedure.
If gallstones are discovered in the bile ducts during the surgery, an additional procedure can be performed to investigate and clean the bile ducts from the stones or a delayed intervention that does not require surgical procedure can be done later.