Lap Cholecystectomy

Bart Decadt

Consultant Laparoscopic Bariatric

& Upper GI Surgeon

All Enquiries

0161 440 9997

Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

A cholecystectomy (pronounced co-lee-sist-ect-omy) is an operation to remove the gallbladder. Laparoscopic means by key-hole surgery. Bile is made from cholesterol, bile salts and waste products. When one of these substances are out of balance, small gall stones are formed. Gallstones often cause no symptoms and in the majority of patients remain undetected. However, they can cause pain, fever, vomiting and nausea. They may obstruct the bile duct (and cause jaundice) or upset the pancreas (and cause pancreatitis). Patients who are symptomatic have a higher chance of complications such as jaundice or pancreatitis and are advised to have a laparoscopic cholecystectomy in order to prevent these complications to happen.

How is a laparoscopic cholecystectomy performed?

An anaesthetist will put you asleep by giving medication through a vein to relax you and keep you asleep and pain free (called general anaesthesia). Once positioned on the operating table your abdomen is cleaned by an antiseptic solution. One small incision is made in the belly button and a small tube is place through which the abdomen is inflated with carbon dioxide.

This is harmless and makes space inside your abdomen to enable the surgeon to visualize the organs. Three small (5 or 10 mm) incisions are made in your abdomen to place the ports, which are fine tubes to give access for the laparoscope and the instruments. The gallbladder is then detached from the liver, placed in a small bag and removed. The area of dissection is washed out until clean and dry. The small incisions are closed with resolvable sutures. The operation takes 20 to 60 minutes and is usually done as a day case, so you can go home that day.

Open cholecystectomy

Very rarely, conversion from keyhole to open surgery occurs (< 1%). This may be due to severe adhesions or complications. You will need to stay in hospital for longer.