If you have a gallbladder attack or severe symptoms, your doctor will likely suggest surgery to remove your gallbladder, a pear-shaped organ that sits just below your liver on the upper right side of your abdomen. While this organ is part of the digestive system, it is one which you can live without. The surgery for gallbladder removal is known as a cholecystectomy.
Cholecystectomy is a common surgery, and it carries only a small risk of complications. In most cases, you can go home the same day of your procedure.
Conservative treatments, such as dietary modifications, unfortunately, usually can’t stop gallstones from recurring or causing pain and other digestive problems. Surgery is often the best or only option to relieve the discomfort of gallbladder disease. A cholecystectomy can relieve the sometimes-severe pain of gallstones.
Gallbladder surgery can be done using open surgery (through one large incision) or minimally invasively (through a few small incisions or one belly button incision) using da Vinci Surgery or traditional laparoscopy. Most people who require gallbladder removal are candidates for the robotic, single-incision surgery.
In some cases, one large incision may be used to remove the gallbladder. This is called an open cholecystectomy.
Present-day cholecystectomy is most commonly performed by inserting a tiny video camera and special surgical tools through four small incisions to see inside your abdomen and remove the gallbladder. Doctors call this a laparoscopic cholecystectomy.
Surgeons using da Vinci technology can remove your gallbladder through one small incision in your belly button using Single-Site* technology, or through a few small incisions. The da Vinci System is a robotic-assisted surgical device of which your surgeon is always in 100% control.
With the da Vinci System surgeons get:
- A 3D HD view inside your body
- Special wristed instruments that bend and rotate far greater than the human hand
- Enhanced vision, precision, and control
Benefits of laparoscopic cholecystectomy can include:
- minimal scarring
- less pain
- less bleeding
- faster recovery
- shorter hospital stays
A cholecystectomy is most commonly performed to treat gallstones and the complications they cause. Your doctor may recommend a cholecystectomy if you have:
- Gallstones in the gallbladder (cholelithiasis)
- Gallstones in the bile duct (choledocholithiasis)
- Gallbladder inflammation (cholecystitis)
- Pancreas inflammation (pancreatitis) due to gallstones
If pain from gallstones or cholecystitis are disrupting your life, schedule a consultation at VIPSurg. Dr. Tsuda and his team can determine the best method for treating your condition. Robotic surgery can get you home and back to doing what you love — quickly and with minimal pain! Call for an appointment at (702) 487-6000.