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Gallbladder Disease
Gallbladder problems can cause severe stomach pain and other distressing symptoms. To relieve your pain, you may need to have your gallbladder removed. It could be removed with a type of surgery called laparoscopic cholecystectomy. People who have this procedure usually recover more quickly and have less pain than with open surgery.
Your gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ. It is located in the upper-right part of your abdomen under your liver. A healthy gallbladder removes water from bile and stores the bile for later use. When needed, the bile is squeezed though ducts in your small intestine to help you digest fatty foods.
The amounts of bile and other fluids inside the gallbladder can become unbalanced. When this happens, some of the chemicals become solid and form gallstones. If the stones stay in the gallbladder, they may not cause major problems. But if the stones move and block ducts, bile can back up. This may lead to pain, nausea, and infections and diseases of the gallbladder, liver or pancreas.
Treatment
Options: You don't need your gallbladder to live a healthy life. So your doctor may recommend surgery to remove it. Many people can have laparoscopic cholecystectomy instead of open surgery. But it may not be right for you if:
- you have major scarring from a past surgery
- you have any bleeding disorders
- you are pregnant and near your due date
- you have a condition that will make it hard for your doctor to see with a laparoscope
Any gallbladder surgery has possible risks and complications. They may include the following:
- excessive bleeding
- infection
- injury to surrounding organs
- injury to the common duct
- blood clots
- injury to the lower digestive tract (rare)
Carbon dioxide gas is injected to lift the outer tissue layers away from the internal organs. The laparoscope is then inserted through an incision made in your navel. A cholangiogram catheter may be inserted through another incision. This catheter takes an x-ray of the common bile duct to check for stones. Tiny metal clips are used to close off the duct and blood vessel at the base of the gallbladder. These clips stay in your body and are harmless. Your gallbladder is detached from your liver using cautery (electric current). Your gallbladder is guided to the incision in your navel and emptied of its contents outside the body. Once emptied, your gallbladder resembles a deflated balloon. It can then be slipped through the incision in your navel.
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