Gallbladder Surgery

Problems with the gallbladder can become severe or chronic, and once that happens then medical action becomes necessary. The surest way to solve chronic pain and purging of gallstones is to simply remove the gallbladder itself. Just as with any other invasive procedure, gallbladder surgery is considered to be major and does have preparations and risks that have to be kept in mind. Many also wonder if there are any future problems that may arise if an entire organ is gone, but fortunately this is not a problem in the case of the gallbladder.  

The one good thing about gallbladder surgery, however, is that it is not one of the most dangerous procedures and the human can function perfectly fine without the gallbladder. The gallbladder is actually only there to collect bile, but usually it causes more trouble than it does any good. Once removed, bile will flow directly to the liver and then the small intestine where it then helps process fats from digested foods.   

Gallbladder surgery is known in medical terms as a cholecystectomy and there are two ways that a general surgeon has to choose from in order to remove the gallbladder.  The most common form is the laparoscopic cholecystectomy which is when the gallbladder is removed through a small slit in the abdomen by using tube-like instruments. This is the preferred method because it is less painful, patient only requires general anesthesia, takes only around 20 minutes to 1 hour to complete and the recovery time is fast. The open removal of the gallbladder requires up to a six inch incision in the right side of the upper abdomen and this is only done of the other method is not possible on a certain patient. This is because it leaves scars, makes the patient prone to infections of the biliary tract, requires more time for the surgeon to complete, lasts for more than an hour and the patient will have to stay in the hospital for a few days to recover. 

Once the gallbladder surgery is complete, almost all patients will never suffer discomfort or pain again and the body will function normally even with the organ removed.