Gallbladder Stone (Gallstones)
What is Gallbladder Stone (Gallstones)?
Gallstones (commonly misspelled gall stones or gall stone) are solid particles that form from bile cholesterol and bilirubin in the gallbladder.
What Causes Gallbladder Stone (Gallstones)?
80 percent of gallstones are made of cholesterol. The other 20 percent of gallstones are made of calcium salts and bilirubin.
What are the symptoms of Gallbladder Stone (Gallstones)?
Attacks may occur every few days, weeks, or months; they may even be separated by years.
The pain usually starts within 30 minutes after a fatty or greasy meal.
The pain is usually severe, dull, and constant, and can last from one to five hours.
It may radiate to the right shoulder or back.
It occurs frequently at night and may awaken the person from sleep.
The pain may make the person want to move around to seek relief, but many patients prefer to lay still and wait for the attack to subside.
What is treatment for Gallbladder Stone (Gallstones)?
Your doctor may need to perform a laparoscopic gallbladder removal. This is a common surgery that requires general anesthesia. The surgeon will usually make 3 or 4 incisions in your abdomen. They’ll then insert a small, lighted device into one of the incisions and carefully remove your gallbladder.
How is laparoscopic cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal) performed?
During a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, surgeons make several small incisions in the abdomen near the navel and pass surgical instruments and a light source with a tiny camera through them. Surgeons then locate the gallbladder and separate and close off the vessels and tubes from it. They then remove the gallbladder and close the incisions.
What are the
benefits of having my gallbladder removed laparoscopically?
Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery requires a shorter hospital stay; usually the patient is home within 24 hours. In some cases you may need to stay overnight. In contrast, patients undergoing open cholecystectomy are often in the hospital three to seven days. Other advantages include a shorter recovery time, less scarring and less pain after surgery.
