Treatments

You’ve had painful attacks caused by gallstones. To treat the problem, your doctor advised to remove your gallbladder? This surgery is called cholecystectomy. Removing the gallbladder can relieve pain. It will also prevent future attacks. You can live a healthy life without your gallbladder. You may also be able to go back to eating foods you enjoyed before your gallbladder problems started. There are 2 methods for removing the gallbladder. We will choose which method is best for you: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This is most common. During surgery, 2 to 4 small incisions are made. A thin tube with a camera is used. This is called a laparoscope. The scope is put through one of the incisions. It sends images to a video screen. Surgical tools are put through other incisions. The gallbladder is removed using the scope and these tools. Open cholecystectomy. One larger incision is made. The surgeon sees and works through this incision. Open surgery is most often used when scarring or other factors make it a better choice for you. In some cases, safety requires a change from laparoscopic to open surgery during the procedure.