Laparoscopic cholecystectomy - Healthdirect

The operation is performed under a general anaesthetic and usually takes about an hour. Your surgeon will use laparoscopic (keyhole) surgery as ... Onthispage Whataregallstones? Whatarethebenefitsofsurgery? Arethereanyalternativestosurgery? Whatdoestheoperationinvolve? Whatcomplicationscanhappen? HowsoonwillIrecover? RelatedinformationonAustralianwebsites Thispagewillgiveyouinformationaboutalaparoscopiccholecystectomy.Ifyouhaveanyquestions,youshouldaskyourGPorotherrelevanthealthprofessional. Whataregallstones? Gallstonesare‘stones’thatforminyourgallbladder.Theyarecommonandcanruninfamilies.Theriskofdevelopinggallstonesincreasesasyougetolderandifyoueatadietrichinfat. Forsomepeoplegallstonescancauseseveresymptoms,withrepeatedattacksofabdominalpainbeingthemostcommon. Thepositionofthegallbladder. Whatarethebenefitsofsurgery? Youshouldbefreeofpainandabletoeatanormaldiet.Surgeryshouldalsopreventtheseriouscomplicationsthatgallstonescancause. Arethereanyalternativestosurgery? Surgeryisrecommendedasitistheonlydependablewaytocurethecondition. Itispossibletodissolvethestonesorevenshatterthemintosmallpiecesbutthesetechniquesinvolveunpleasantdrugsthathavesideeffectsandahighfailurerate.Antibioticscanbeusedtotreatanyinfectionofyourgallbladder.Eatingadietlowinfatmayhelptopreventattacksofpain. Whatdoestheoperationinvolve? Theoperationisperformedunderageneralanaestheticandusuallytakesaboutanhour.Yoursurgeonwilluselaparoscopic(keyhole)surgeryasthisisassociatedwithlesspain,lessscarringandafasterreturntonormalactivities.Theywillmakeseveralsmallcutsonyourabdomensotheycaninserttubes(ports)intoyourabdomen.Yoursurgeonwillinsertsurgicalinstrumentsthroughtheportsalongwithatelescopesotheycanseeinsideyourabdomenandperformtheoperation. Yoursurgeonwillremoveyourgallbladderfromyourabdomenthroughoneoftheports. Whatcomplicationscanhappen? Somecomplicationscanbeseriousandcanevencausedeath. Generalcomplicationsofanyoperation pain bleeding unsightlyscarringofyourskin developingaherniainthescar infectionofthesurgicalsite(wound) bloodclotinyourleg bloodclotinyourlung Specificcomplicationsofthisoperation Keyholesurgerycomplications damagetostructuressuchasyourbowel,liverorbloodvessels developingahernianearoneofthecuts surgicalemphysema(acracklingsensationinyourskincausedbytrappedcarbondioxide) Cholecystectomycomplications leakingofbileorstones retainedstonesinyourcommonbileduct continuedpain needingtogotothetoiletmoreoften inflammationoftheliningofyourabdomen bileductinjury allergicreactiontotheequipment,materials,medicationordye bowelinjury pancreatitis,ifastonemovesintoyourcommonbileduct seriousdamagetoyourliveroritsassociatedbloodvessels tissuescanjointogetherinanabnormalway HowsoonwillIrecover? Youshouldbeabletogohomethenextday. Youshouldbeabletoreturntoworkafter2to4weeks,dependingonhowmuchsurgeryyouneedandyourtypeofwork. Regularexerciseshouldhelpyoutoreturntonormalactivitiesassoonaspossible.Beforeyoustartexercising,askthehealthcareteamoryourGPforadvice. Youshouldmakeafullrecoveryandbeabletoreturntonormalactivitiesandeatanormaldiet. Summary Gallstonesareacommonproblem.Anoperationtoremoveyourgallbladdershouldresultinyoubeingfreeofpainandabletoeatanormaldiet. IMPORTANTINFORMATIONTheoperationandtreatmentinformationonthispageispublishedunderlicensebyHealthdirectAustraliafromEIDOHealthcareAustraliaandisprotectedbycopyrightlaws.Otherthanforyourpersonal,non-commercialuse,youmaynotcopy,printout,downloadorotherwisereproduceanyoftheinformation.Theinformationshouldnotreplaceadvicethatyourrelevanthealthprofessionalwouldgiveyou.MedicalIllustrationCopyright©Medical-Artist.com.Formoreonhowthisinformationwasprepared,clickhere. Learnmorehereaboutthedevelopmentandqualityassuranceofhealthdirectcontent. Lastreviewed:September2021 BackToTop Relatedpages Cholecystectomy(gallbladderremoval) Cholecystectomyandexplorationofthebileduct Opencholecystectomy Searchoursitefor Gallstones Gallbladder Generalsearchresults Resultsformedicalprofessionals Topresults Gallbladder-gallstonesandsurgery-BetterHealthChannel betterhealth.vic.gov.au ReadmoreonBetterHealthChannelwebsite Laparoscopy-MyDr.com.au Laparoscopyisaprocedurethatcanbeusedtoinvestigateandtreatavarietyofconditions.Alaparoscopeisusedtoviewinsidetheabdomenorpelvis. ReadmoreonmyDrwebsite Gallstones:symptoms,causes,complicationsandtreatment Themostcommonsymptomofgallstonesisrecurrentattacksofpainintheupperabdomenortheback,knownasbiliarycolic. ReadmoreonmyDrwebsite Showmore Topresults Showmore HealthdirectAustraliaisnotresponsibleforthecontentandadvertisingontheexternalwebsiteyouarenowentering. Relatedpages Cholecystectomy(gallbladderremoval) Cholecystectomyandexplorationofthebileduct Opencholecystectomy Searchoursitefor Gallstones Gallbladder Symptomchecker Worriedaboutyourhealth?Selectasymptom,answersomequestions,getadvice. StartYourSymptomCheck servicecategory Findahealthservice Pleaseenterasuburborpostcodeofyourlocationandselectfromthelist. Unabletofindyourlocation.Pleaseentermanuallybelow. Locationnotfound. GP(Generalpractice) Pharmacy EmergencyDepartments Hospitals Needmoreservices? enteralocation Pleaseenterasuburborpostcodeofyourlocationandselectfromthelist. Unabletofindyourlocation.Pleaseentermanuallybelow. Locationnotfound. 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