The gall bladder is a tubular organ found adjacent to the liver. It is integrally involved in the process of digestion by releasing the all-important bile juice into the digestive tract. The organ is sometimes affected by disease processes that include, among others, gall stones, infections and cancers. Surgery is often required whenever such conditions are encountered. If they have been scheduled to have laparoscopic gallbladder surgery Houston residents need to understand a number of things.
Your doctor will subject you to a number of tests before they make a decision to take you in for the operation. Ultrasound, CT scan and other imaging studies are among the most informative. They not only help in the diagnosis and staging of the illness but also go a long way into helping the surgeon decide whether surgery will be beneficial in a particular case. A more invasive but useful test is known as magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatograhy (MRCP).
Once a decision to have the operation has been made, you will be taken through a preparation stage. The stage includes, among other things, conducting a set of tests. The liver is often affected alongside the gall bladder in many cases and has to be assessed by doing liver function tests. During this stage, the doctor will advise you to stop consuming some foods or taking drugs that may increase your risk of bleeding.
In the procedure, three small incisions (ports) are made in the anterior abdominal wall. The ports are used for the entry of instruments and a camera which captures images from the surgical field that are projected onto a monitor. The surgeon uses the images to perform the operation. To make the organs more accessible, the abdomen is filled with a gas that distends the abdomen and makes each organ more distinct.
The procedure is usually done under general anesthesia. With this type of anesthesia, one is put to sleep and only awoken once the surgery has been completed. The average time for the operation is about two hours. Restoration of bile flow is immediate. If the gall bladder is removed (cholecystectomy), bile will not be stored as before and will flow directly into the digestive tract.
You need to be aware of the potential complications of this operation. Common short term complications include injury to vital organs such as the liver and intestines, bleeding and infections. Due to the small space used to operate, there may be a need to convert the laparoscopic surgery to an open procedure in about 5% of procedures. Gall bladder inflammation and extensive scar tissues are some of the reasons as to why such a conversion may be necessary.
Laparoscopy has several advantages over the open technique. One of the advantages is the fact that the surgical cuts are smaller hence the scars that are formed later on are less conspicuous. The smaller incisions also results in less bleeding and less pain. Perhaps the most important is the fact that the recovery time is significantly shortened.
It is possible to have this procedure in either an outpatient or an inpatient facility. The latter option is preferred by most surgeons due to the use of general anesthesia. In the inpatient facility, the patient can be observed for a day or two before they are discharged home. On average, resumption of normal activities is at seven to ten days. No special diet is required during recovery.
Your doctor will subject you to a number of tests before they make a decision to take you in for the operation. Ultrasound, CT scan and other imaging studies are among the most informative. They not only help in the diagnosis and staging of the illness but also go a long way into helping the surgeon decide whether surgery will be beneficial in a particular case. A more invasive but useful test is known as magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatograhy (MRCP).
Once a decision to have the operation has been made, you will be taken through a preparation stage. The stage includes, among other things, conducting a set of tests. The liver is often affected alongside the gall bladder in many cases and has to be assessed by doing liver function tests. During this stage, the doctor will advise you to stop consuming some foods or taking drugs that may increase your risk of bleeding.
In the procedure, three small incisions (ports) are made in the anterior abdominal wall. The ports are used for the entry of instruments and a camera which captures images from the surgical field that are projected onto a monitor. The surgeon uses the images to perform the operation. To make the organs more accessible, the abdomen is filled with a gas that distends the abdomen and makes each organ more distinct.
The procedure is usually done under general anesthesia. With this type of anesthesia, one is put to sleep and only awoken once the surgery has been completed. The average time for the operation is about two hours. Restoration of bile flow is immediate. If the gall bladder is removed (cholecystectomy), bile will not be stored as before and will flow directly into the digestive tract.
You need to be aware of the potential complications of this operation. Common short term complications include injury to vital organs such as the liver and intestines, bleeding and infections. Due to the small space used to operate, there may be a need to convert the laparoscopic surgery to an open procedure in about 5% of procedures. Gall bladder inflammation and extensive scar tissues are some of the reasons as to why such a conversion may be necessary.
Laparoscopy has several advantages over the open technique. One of the advantages is the fact that the surgical cuts are smaller hence the scars that are formed later on are less conspicuous. The smaller incisions also results in less bleeding and less pain. Perhaps the most important is the fact that the recovery time is significantly shortened.
It is possible to have this procedure in either an outpatient or an inpatient facility. The latter option is preferred by most surgeons due to the use of general anesthesia. In the inpatient facility, the patient can be observed for a day or two before they are discharged home. On average, resumption of normal activities is at seven to ten days. No special diet is required during recovery.
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