What is a Cholecystetomy?
Cholecystectomy is the surgical removal of the gallbladder, which is located in the abdomen beneath the right side of the liver. Gallbladder problems are usually the result of gallstones. These stones may block the flow of bile from your gallbladder, causing the organ to swell. Other causes include cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder) and cholangitis (inflammation of the bile duct).
Purpose of getting Cholecystectomy Surgery done:
A cholecystectomy is performed to treat cholelithiasis and cholecystitis. In cholelithiasis, gallstones of varying shapes and sizes form from the solid components of bile. The presence of these stones, often referred to as gallbladder disease, may produce symptoms of excruciating right upper abdominal pain radiating to the right shoulder.
The gallbladder may become the site of acute infection and inflammation, resulting in symptoms of upper right abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. This condition is referred to as cholecystitis. The surgical removal of the gallbladder can provide relief of these symptoms. Cholecystectomy is used to treat both acute and chronic cholecystitis when there are significant pain symptoms. The typical composition of gallstones is predominately cholesterol, or a compound called calcium bilirubinate.
Preparation before Cholecystetomy Surgery:
Stop smoking and get your weight down. If you know that you have problems with your blood pressure, your heart, or your lungs, ask your family doctor to check that these are under control. Check the hospital’s advice about taking the pill or hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Check you have a relative or friend who can come with you to hospital, take you home, and look after you for the first week after the operation. Bring all your tablets and medicines with you to hospital. On the ward, you may be checked for past illnesses and may have special tests, ready for the operation. Many hospitals now run special preadmission clinics, where you visit for an hour or two, a few weeks or so before the operation for these checks.
Procedure of Cholecystectomy Surgery:
Open cholecystectomy:This is the “traditional” surgical technique for removing the gallbladder and is performed under a general anaesthetic. A single incision is made below the rib cage. Through the incision the surgeon can view the area and remove the gallbladder. The cystic duct is tied off or closed with surgical clips. The common bile duct is left intact. The incision in the skin is closed with dissolvable stitches or staples. If staples are used, they will be removed 7-10 days after the operation. A hospital stay of up to five days is common after open cholecystectomy.Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy :
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is less invasive than an open cholecystectomy and is the most commonly used surgical technique for removing the gallbladder. It has a faster recovery time and a shorter hospital stay.In a laparoscopic cholecystectomy four small incisions are made in the abdomen. A telescope-like instrument (a laparoscope) is inserted through one incision and surgical instruments are inserted through the other incisions. The laparoscope has a camera and a light on its tip allowing the surgeon to view the inside of the abdominal cavity on a television monitor. The abdominal cavity is then inflated with carbon dioxide gas to provide a clear field of vision and to give the surgeon room to operate. The gallbladder is located and the cystic duct is tied off or closed with surgical clips. The gallbladder is then removed through an incision in the belly button (umbilicus). The incisions in the abdomen are closed with paper tapes (steri-strips) and are covered with small waterproof dressings. The operation is performed under general anaesthetic and the patient can usually be discharged after a one-night stay in hospital. Cholecystectomy may be delayed if there is acute inflammation of the gallbladder. Antibiotics may also be given if cholecystitis is present. When the gallbladder is removed, bile is still produced by the liver and excreted through the bile duct. Instead of being stored by the gallbladder until needed, it flows directly into the duodenum and is excreted from the body.
After the Surgery of Cholecystectomy – In Hospital
If you have had the keyhole operation, your wounds are injected with a pain-killing drug during the operation. They are usually only a little uncomfortable. Ask for tablets or even injections if the wounds are troubling you. You may notice some discomfort in your shoulder tips for a day or two. The special gas used to help the surgeon see clearly in your tummy during the operation causes this. It settles down. If you have had the open operation, the wound is painful and you will be given injections and later tablets to control this. Ask for more if the pain is still unpleasant. A general anaesthetic will make you slow, clumsy and forgetful for about 24 hours. Do not make important decisions during that time. If you have had the keyhole operation you will have 4 little wounds; if you have had the open operation you will have just one wound. The wounds will have a dressing, which may show some staining with old blood in the first 24 hours. In the keyhole operation the wound dressings will be changed before you go home if they are stained. Keep the dressings on for a week until you are seen at a follow up visit. In the open operation there may be stitches or clips in the skin. Any plastic drain tube is removed when it stops draining – usually after 48 hours. If there is a thick tube, this means you have needed an additional procedure to get rid of misplaced stones. This drain is taken out after 10 days. You can wash the wound area as soon as the dressing has been removed. Soap and tap water are entirely adequate. Salted water is not necessary. After the keyhole operation most patients can go home the day after the operation. Some can even go home the same day. You can stay longer if you are not feeling fit enough to go home so soon. For the open operation, if you have only had a gallbladder removal, plan to go home in 5 days after the operation. If you have had more done, 10 days is a sensible time for planning. Please ask the nurses about sick notes, certificates etc.
Why should one go for Cholecystectomy Surgery to India?
Traveling India for Cholecystectomy surgery can give you access to top quality health care quickly and cheaply. Our mission is to make your journey absolutely successful – in terms of treatment, in terms of outcomes and in terms of experience. India has one of the world’s most extensive health care systems supported by a long tradition of health and medicine dating back to Ayurveda. Indian doctors routinely post-graduate train at American and European university hospitals and they are the backbone of both the National Health Service in the United Kingdom and hospitals in the United States. Last year alone 150,000 patients visited India for medical treatment. The came from countries around the world: USA, Canada, UK, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, the Middle East, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, the Central Asian Republics. Surgery in India is safe, expert and supported by high quality equipment and well trained nursing and ancillary staff. The hospitals in India are staffed with specialists who also act as consultants in the West. Many are world-recognized experts. These are very highly experienced surgeons in India.
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