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Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is surgery to remove the gallbladder due to symptomatic gallstones. This safe and effective treatment is the procedure most commonly used to treat this condition. Because the abdominal muscles are not cut during the operation, recovery time is shorter and complications and scarring are minimal as compared to open surgery. There is a risk of bile duct injury as well as the possibility of internal bleeding or infection, but these are rare occurrences.
What to Expect
This operation will require a short hospital stay, generally one to three days. You will be put under general anesthesia, and the operation will take approximately two hours.
The operation is performed through several small incisions in the abdomen. A small, lighted scope attached to camera (called a laparoscope) is inserted into one of these incisions (usually near the belly button) and small surgical instruments are inserted into the others. The surgeon then watches a magnified view of your abdominal organs and tissues on a video monitor to guide the tools and remove the gallbladder through one of the incisions.
You may experience post-operative pain in the upper abdomen and right shoulder, minor inflammation at the incision sites, loss of apetite, nausea, or diarrhea. Recovery is usually rapid, however. After discharge from the hospital, you will need to limit exertion for about a week to 10 days, after which you can generally resume your normal schedule and activities.
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