The appearance of gallstones is one of the main causes of gallbladder removal. Dr. Escartín, an expert in General Surgery, highlights cholecystectomy as the best surgical option to remove gallstones.
The liver produces bile, a substance that is secreted into the intestine to help digest fats. The gallbladder is a pouch-like organ that stores bile to be released into the intestine after eating food.
Gallbladder stones and cholecystectomy
Cholelithiasis is the appearance of “stones” or gallstones in the gallbladder. Gallstones can cause pain as biliary colic, inflammation of the gallbladder as cholecystitis, obstruction of the bile ducts as jaundice, infection as cholangitis or inflammation of the pancreas as pancreatitis. Cholelithiasis is the leading cause of cholecystectomy or gallbladder removal.
Cholecystectomy, removal of the gallbladder
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the surgical intervention that consists of the removal of the gallbladder with a video camera and special procedure that allows the intervention to be performed through very small incisions, without the need to open the abdomen.
The 3D laparoscopic technique offers more visual quality and depth of field for the specialist in General Surgery, allowing him to work faster due to the fact of reducing the movements with the instruments. The 3D laparoscopic surgery gives depth in the surgical field of vision, offering a much more realistic vision. The technique, in addition to helping the operation to be more precise and safe, reduces the time of intervention and the subsequent recovery of the patient.
The operation is performed under general anesthesia and usually lasts between 20 minutes and 1 hour, depending on the difficulties encountered by the surgeon. If there are no complications, the patient is usually discharged the same day or the following day, after recovery of consciousness, oral intake, ambulation and urination.
If there are previous abdominal interventions or inflammation of the gallbladder, the cholecystectomy may not be able to be performed laparoscopically. At other times, an operation started by laparoscopy will need to be concluded with a conventional approach, without this being understood as a complication.
Results of cholecystectomy
In general, the pain caused by the stones disappears and the patients’ quality of life improves. The loss of gallbladder function does not usually cause any problems, perhaps due to the dilatation of the bile ducts after cholecystectomy, which would serve to carry out this bile reserve function. Occasionally, patients present an increase in the number of bowel movements, but in general this does not cause major problems.
Complications of cholecystectomy
As with any operation, complications can occur. The most frequent complications of cholecystectomy are mild, such as hematoma in the surgical wounds, infection, phlebitis or delay in the normalization of intestinal movement.
Less frequent but more serious are internal bleeding, bile leakage, abscess formation, inflammation of the pancreas or thrombi in the legs. Injury to the intestine and bile ducts, pulmonary embolism or infarction are very rare but can result in serious complications.
Cholecystectomy, the best option against gallbladder stones
In conclusion, in expert hands, laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a technique that significantly improves the patient’s quality of life. It is one of the most satisfactory procedures for surgeons and patients, since the benefits far outweigh the risks and discomfort.