Gallbladder Stone Operation: When do you need treatment?

• 28/06/2022
• 0

80,000 people have their gallbladders removed each year. This surgical procedure puts an end to the risk of complications related to calculations, these small pebbles that form in the bile.

From indications to postoperative follow-up, the point with Dr. Ahuja.

Role of the gallbladder

Located in the abdomen against the liver, the gallbladder is a hollow, pear-shaped organ. It concentrates and stores the bile produced by the liver. This liquid is composed of:

• cholesterol;
• pigments;
• of bile salts.

When food is ingested, bile is released into the digestive tract to participate in the digestion of fat in a limited way.

Gallstones: what are they?

It happens that some changes in the composition of the bile or the presence of germs lead to the formation of crystals, which, aggregating each other, form stones or “liver stones”. This is called cholelithiasis. Gallstones affect after 70 years, 15% of men and 30% of women.

Of variable size,  these “pebbles” are mostly composed of cholesterol (unrelated to blood cholesterol). The factors that favor these calculations are:

• obesity;
• diabetes;
• multiple pregnancies;
• family history;
• certain lipid-lowering drugs such as clofibrate;
• age;
• hormonal contraceptives;
• menopausal treatments;
• chronic inflammatory bowel disease.

It is also noted that women are more often affected.

It is estimated that  10 to 20% of the population has such stones identifiable by ultrasound. But fortunately,  not all of them require treatment. In the absence of symptoms, no treatment is necessary.

Possible complications

But sometimes, these small stones are accompanied by painful attacks due to the distention of the gallbladder, improperly called “hepatic colic”? More  important complications  are:

• Inflammation and infection of the gallbladder ( acute cholecystitis );
• The migration of stones  in the duct called the bile duct located between the gallbladder and the duodenum and its infection (cholangitis);
• Inflammation of the pancreas, the main duct of which ends at the same place as the bile duct (pancreatitis).

In rare cases, if the calculus permanently obstructs the duct, an infection can occur and cause fever, intense pain, and sometimes jaundice. In all cases after a first crisis, it is necessary to go see a doctor.

Gallbladder stone treatment and operation

The removal of the gallbladder or cholecystectomy is a relatively innocuous operation. Requiring a short hospital stay relieves patients in case of pain or complications due to gallstones.

To remove the gallbladder, the standard Gallbladder stone treatment has been, since 1988,  laparoscopic cholecystectomy:

• Performed under general anesthesia, this technique consists of making  four small incisions of 5 mm to 1 centimeter approximately on the abdomen;
• They will allow the introduction of the instruments necessary for the operation;
• Carbon dioxide  is introduced to create the space necessary for the operation in the peritoneal cavity;
• The gallbladder is then removed  under the control of a mini-camera introduced into the abdomen (laparoscopy);
• During the operation, an X-ray checks the condition of the common bile duct.

This operation lasts between 45 minutes and 2 hours, depending on the state of the gallbladder, the weight of the patient, the existence of any previous interventions, etc. For more info on contact the Best surgeon in Chandigarh.

Thanks to this technique,  the post-operative comfort of the patient is improved. The duration of hospitalization is shorter  – one to two days. It is even medically possible to ask the patient to enter in the morning on an empty stomach and leave him to leave in the evening. In addition, the  convalescence  is  much faster: from one to three weeks.

An old technique,  cholecystectomy by laparotomy is still used in certain special cases:  stones that are too large, a history of abdominal surgery, infections, etc. It requires an incision of 7 to 10 centimeters in the abdomen.

The duration of the operation remains substantially the same, however, the hospitalization is then from one to four days and the convalescence is a little longer,  being able to reach four to eight weeks. Dr Ahuja Clinic is one of the Best surgeons in Chandigarh for Gallbladder Stone removal.