CHOLECYSTECTOMY (GALLBLADDER REMOVAL)

What is a cholecystectomy?

A cholecystectomy is the removal of the gallbladder

Why do surgeons remove the gallbladder?

A gallbladder is removed for a few different reasons.

• Gallstones most common
• Other reasons you may have your gallbladder removed include
  • abnormal growths, like a weed in your lawn, called a polyp

How is the gallbladder removed?

• Gallbladder removal is almost always done laparoscopically (meaning through small incisions)
• Gallbladder removal is usually done through day surgery (meaning you go home to recover the same day as the surgery)
• A general anesthetic is used to keep you asleep during the surgery.
• Surgeons almost always use 4 small incisions, less than 1 centimeter (1 around the belly button, 1 under the breast bone, and two under the right side of your ribs)

What are the side effects of gallbladder removal?

• Most patients return to full activities within 2 weeks of having surgery. It is important to discuss with your surgeon when you should return to your normal activities.
•  Diarrhea
  • After the gallbladder is removed about 1 in 20 patients will have some diarrhea or increased frequency of bowel movements.
  • For most patients this resolves within a few weeks but some patients may need to take a medication to slow down their bowels.

What are some complications of gallbladder removal?

• Bleeding
  • The risk of significant bleeding during surgery is very low
  • Less than 1 in 200 people experience this complication
    • Rarely patients need a blood transfusion or an open procedure where a larger incision is needed to control the bleeding.
• Hernias
  • A hernia is a weakness in the abdominal wall (click here to learn more!)
  • After surgery, some patients develop hernias where surgeons made incisions.
  • Hernias form in less than 1 out of 1000 patients
  • Occasionally, patients may need to have these hernias fixed in the future.
• Bile Leak
  • A rare but serious complication from removing the gallbladder
  • 1 out of 100 patients may experience this complication
  • In this case bile leaks out of the tube that was sealed by the clip and can irritate the inside lining of the abdomen causing pain
    • To help fix this leak surgeons have a number of options including:
      • A soft tube is inserted to drain bile out of the abdomen
      • A procedure known as ERCP is performed to help relieve pressure (Click here to learn more)
• Common Bile Duct Injury
  • The common bile duct is the main tube that drains bile from the left and right side of the liver.
    • This injury may be caused by a hole in the tube or the tube may be completely cut
    • This is a rare but serious complication from gallbladder surgery
      • Surgeons take this complication very seriously and have multiple strategies to repair the hole or cut in the bile duct. Occasionally, they may sew a piece of bowel to the cut tube and allow bile to drain directly into the bowel.