gallbladder surgery Huntsville AL
Gallbladder Surgery
Gallstones and gallbladder inflammation are common causes of sudden, severe abdominal pain. Dr. Mailapur removes the gallbladder laparoscopically through three to four small incisions, as an outpatient procedure. Surgery is the standard treatment once gallstones become symptomatic, since the condition doesn't resolve on its own and can become serious if left untreated.
What the Gallbladder Does
The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of your abdomen, just beneath the liver. It stores bile, a digestive fluid produced by the liver, and releases it into the small intestine to help break down fat from food.
Gallstones and Symptoms
Gallstones can sit in the gallbladder without causing any symptoms at all. Problems start when a stone blocks the duct leading out of the gallbladder. When that happens, you may notice sudden, intensifying pain in the upper middle or upper right part of your abdomen, pain between your shoulder blades or in your right shoulder, and nausea or vomiting. An episode can last anywhere from several minutes to a few hours.
Symptomatic gallstones don't resolve on their own and can lead to real complications: inflammation of the gallbladder, blockage of the pancreatic duct causing pancreatitis, or blockage of the common bile duct causing jaundice and, in serious cases, sepsis. Surgery to remove the gallbladder is the standard treatment once gallstones become symptomatic.
Cholecystitis
Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder, most often caused by a gallstone blocking the duct that lets bile exit. It needs treatment. Left alone, it can lead to infection, a tear in the gallbladder wall, or gangrene, the death of gallbladder tissue. Some cases respond to conservative treatment at first, but most patients with cholecystitis eventually need their gallbladder removed for lasting relief.
Biliary Dyskinesia
Biliary dyskinesia is a different problem from gallstones. It's a condition where the gallbladder doesn't squeeze properly to release bile, even though no stones are present. Patients often have the same kind of pain as someone with gallstones, just without a stone showing up on imaging. Gallbladder removal is also the standard treatment here, since a gallbladder that isn't functioning properly isn't going to start working correctly on its own.
How Gallbladder Surgery Works
We remove the gallbladder laparoscopically, through three to four small incisions in the abdomen. It's an outpatient procedure done under general anesthesia, using a camera and monitor to guide the surgery. We also take an X-ray during the procedure to check the bile duct for any additional issues before finishing.
Most patients go home the same day and return to normal activity within a week or two.