Gallbladder surgerySurgery to remove the gallbladder is called a cholecystectomy. It is a very common surgery in the United States and is the most common way to treat symptomatic gallstones. Every year more than 500,000 people in the USA have this surgery. Laporascopic Cholecystectomy
Using the images sent through the video camera, we are able to separate the gallbladder from the liver and surrounding structures and carefully cut the cystic duct and remove the gallbladder through one of the small incisions. Because we do not have to make large incisions through the abdominal wall, patients experience less pain and have a faster recovery than they would if we used the traditional open cholecystectomy. Patients are generally released from hospital after a one night stay. The success rate for the laporascopic cholecystectomy is about 95%. Occasionally, problems arise during the laporascopic procedure that requires us to complete the operation using the traditional open cholecystectomy. Fortunately this is rare (about 5% of cases) and although it is a more complex surgery with a longer hospital stay and recovery time associated with it, Dr Bunch and Dr. Erbella are highly experienced in performing it. Do You Need Your Gall Bladder?The gallbladder stores bile which is a liquid that we use in our bodies to digest fat. Bile is made in the liver and stored in the gallbladder where it is periodically released into the digestive tract to help digest fat. In certain conditions bile can harden into stones, called gallstones, which range in size from specs of sand through to the size of golf balls. Gallstones can cause blockages in any of the ducts that bile travels through to get to the small intestine. These blockages can cause inflammation and infection that can be extremely serious if left untreated. Fortunately, we don't have to have a gallbladder and removing it does not usually even require you to change your diet. Without a gallbladder, bile will flow straight from the liver through the bile duct and into the small intestine. This does not normally cause problems for people who eat a relatively healthy diet. What to expect from your laporascopic cholecystectomy
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The surgeons at Bradenton Surgical Group specialize in the minimally invasive or laporascopic cholecystectomy. During this operation we make several tiny incisions in the abdomen into which we insert surgical instruments and a miniature video camera.
