Benefits and Risk of Gallbladder Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Surgery

Laparoscopic gallstone surgery or laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a most widely recognized and accepted surgical procedure. It involves removal of gallstone or gallbladder through various cuts or holes in the abdomen.

The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ in the body. It plays a role of collecting the digestive juice produced by the liver and transferring it to the small intestine through the bile ducts.

Gallbladder Stones

Small and hard stones consisting of cholesterol and bile salts formed in the gallbladder. The cause is uncertain but females, age above 40 years and being overweight are some of the associated risk factors. These stones block the outflow of the bile causing the gallbladder to swell.

The symptoms such as pain, vomiting, indigestion, fever, and jaundice can show up. Surgical removal of the gallbladder or cholecystectomy is the safest treatment of gallstones or any other gallbladder disease, and laparoscopic gallbladder surgery is the safest and the most opted procedure by the best laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgeon in India.

A laparoscope is a small and a thin tube, which is inserted into the abdomen through the tiny incisions made below the navel. The surgeon can view the gallbladder on the screen and do the surgery with the equipment inserted. The gallbladder is taken out through one of these incisions.

What are the benefits of laparoscopic gallstone surgery?

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy or gallstone surgery is a minimally invasive procedure, therefore is the most recommended for the treatment of gallstones. The benefits are,

• Laparoscopic surgery does not require any large cut on the abdomen muscles, as in the open surgery. The incision is small and recovery is faster.
• The hospital stay is shorter due to a fast recovery. The patient can resume work soon.
• As compared to the open surgery procedure the pain is very less.

Along with the above benefits, this surgery has a few limitations, when laparoscopic gallbladder surgery cannot be performed.

• Age: Old aged people are not allowed the laparoscopic surgery, as they might not be able to bear the effects of anesthesia.
• Pregnancy: A pregnant female cannot undergo laparoscopic surgery.
• Previous abdominal surgery: a person who has undergone an open abdominal surgery within one year is not advised for laparoscopic surgery.
• Disease condition: a person with a disease condition such as asthma, paralysis or liver failure is not permitted for laparoscopic surgery. They instead have to go ahead with the open surgery.

Risk and Complication

Though infrequent, laparoscopic cholecystectomy carries some risk like any other abdominal surgery. It is a minimally invasive procedure and the complications are very rare, which include:

• Bleeding or infection, which is very rare if handled by an experienced surgeon.
• Nausea and vomiting post-surgical procedure.
• Injury to the bile duct, intestine or the blood vessels, which might further require a corrective surgery.
• In a few cases, there might be a problem removing the gallbladder with a laparoscope. Immediate open surgery is then performed immediately.
• Infection

The above-mentioned risks have a very low occurrence chance. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the primary option for gallbladder surgery by many surgeons because of the numerous benefits it bears.