GALLBLADDER SURGERY

If you have a gallbladder attack or severe symptoms, your doctor may suggest surgery to remove your gallbladder. It’s an organ you can live without. Gallbladder removal is known as a cholecystectomy.

The gallbladder is a small organ that stores bile and is located in the upper right side of the abdomen. After you eat, the gallbladder releases bile into the common bile ducts. The bile travels to the small intestine where it helps with digestion. If stones form in the gallbladder, they can block the release of bile. This can cause nausea, vomiting, or severe pain in the upper abdomen, back, ribs, or just under the right arm. Gallbladder stones are the most common cause of gallbladder problems.

Your surgeon may order a CT scan which allows them to rule out alternative medical causes for your discomfort; a HIDA Scan (Hepatobiliary scan) which checks gallbladder function by using a radioactive fluid, or an ERCP (Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) which helps find and remove gallstones by using a thin, flexible scope guided through the mouth and stomach to the bile duct.

HOW ARE GALLBLADDER PROBLEMS TREATED?

Often times, gallbladder problems are cured by removing the gallbladder. Dr. Takla uses minimally invasive laparoscopic or robotic-assisted surgery techniques to remove the gallbladder, making several small incisions in the upper part of your abdomen instead of one large incision. Because the surgery is minimally invasive, you can expect to go home the same day of surgery.