Gall Bladder Surgery

Gall Bladder Surgery

The shape of the gall bladder in your body is like that of a pear. This organ stores bile, which helps in the digestion of food. There can be the formation of stones (calculi) in the gall bladder if it is not working properly or there are certain biochemical abnormalities in the bile. The size of the stone can be small like a grain of rice to a few centimeters in size. You will not get relief from gall stones if you don’t go for proper treatment. You have to undergo open gallbladder surgery (cholecystectomy) to get complete relief from this problem.

Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy:

The laparoscopic approach is the “gold standard” approach for cholecystectomy. Earlier only simple cases were performed laparoscopically, but with the advent of better technology and techniques, more difficult cases are being performed laparoscopically. The need to convert to an open technique by making a large cut (incision) on the abdomen rarely arises.

In this procedure, the best gallbladder laparoscopic surgeon in Kolkata makes some small cuts (incisions) in your abdomen. He/she inserts air or carbon dioxide into your abdomen to inflate it. This is necessary to have a clear view of your abdomen. The surgeon inserts a video camera (laparoscope) and a lighted scope through an incision near your belly button. While inserting surgical instruments through the other incisions and removing the gall bladder, the surgeon views the images sent by the laparoscope on a monitor in the operation room. There is the use of general anaesthesia during this procedure.

Common Bile Duct (CBD) Stones:

Some patients with gall stones also develop stones in the common bile duct (a tubular structure carrying bile from the liver and gall bladder to the small intestine). In such a scenario, both cholecystectomy, as well as the removal of stones from CBD, needs to be done. The most common way to remove the CBD stones is by performing an endoscopic procedure called ERCP. Some stones are not amenable for treatment by ERCP. In such cases, a combined laparoscopic CBD exploration along with cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal) is performed to treat the patient.