Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in Iran

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a surgery that aims to remove the gallbladder via a laparoscope. It does not require any cut in the abdomen muscles. So, you will have less recovery time and less pain than with open surgery, another type of procedure for gallbladder removal. However, it may not be without any complications.

Cholecystectomy purpose

According to estimations, Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is currently applied for nearly 80 percent of cases. A cholecystectomy is used to treat cholecystitis and cholelithiasis. In cholelithiasis, gallstones make the solid components of bile. The gallstones vary in shape and size. The presence of these stones is often referred to as gallbladder disease. This disease may produce symptoms of excruciating right upper abdominal pain. The pain also may radiate to the right shoulder.

The gallbladder can become a place for acute infection and inflammation and lead to symptoms of nausea, vomiting and upper right abdominal pain. This condition is called cholecystitis. In these cases, the surgeons do cholecystectomy to remove the gallbladder so that the symptoms are relieved. There are two types of cholecystectomy: open surgery and laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Why laparoscopic cholecystectomy?

This surgery does not require cutting in abdominal muscles. The surgeon makes several small cuts instead of a large one. The surgeon uses a laparoscope, a narrow tube with a camera attached to it. It is inserted through one small incision and the surgeon can see the gallbladder on a screen and manage the surgery via the screen. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy then has less pain after the surgery and you can return to your work and your normal life very soon.

Precautions

However, not all patients can have Laparoscopic cholecystectomy. If you tend to bleed a lot or if you have a problem that makes it difficult to see the gallbladder, open surgery would be recommended. Also, it may be preferred when the gallbladder is so inflamed and can be ruptured. Or, when adhesions are present. In some cases the surgeon starts the Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, but converts it to open surgery during the procedure.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedure

For having laparoscopic gallbladder removal you have to go under general anesthesia. Once you are asleep, an incision is made near your belly button. The surgeon inserts a small device there. The device is called a port and it makes an opening that the surgeon uses it to fill your abdomen with gas. The gas creates space for doing the procedure. Then, the surgeon inserts a small camera through the port. The camera displays the procedure on a screen in the surgery room.

Once he/she can see the area clearly, the surgeon puts in more ports to insert narrow, long instruments through them. The surgeon may use X-ray during the surgery to know whether there are gallstones in the bile duct. If there were gallstones in the bile duct, additional surgery would be required. Eventually, the surgeon gently disconnects the gallbladder and removes it out of one of the incisions. After the surgery is done, the surgeon takes out the instruments and closes the incisions using stitches. The Laparoscopic cholecystectomy may also be done using a surgical robot which is called robotic surgery. The surgeon does it the same way as explained above. But, he/she guides the robot instead of inserting the instruments by hand.