Gall Bladder: Gall Bladder is a small pouch that is located just below the liver. Its function is to store and concentrate bile produced from the Liver.
After intake of food, Gall Bladder contracts and pushes extra bile into the small intestine through bile ducts to promote digestion.
Cholecystitis: It is infection or inflammation of the Gall Bladder. The common symptoms are pain particularly in the right upper abdomen, fever, nausea, vomiting and sometimes jaundice
Cholecystectomy: Removal of the gall bladder. It is done either laparoscopically or by open surgery in certain special circumstances.
*Removal of gall bladder is not associated with any impairment of digestion.
What are the indications of removal of Gall Bladder?
Gall bladder stones or Cholelithiasis: Gall bladder problems are usually caused by presence of gall stones in it. There are no definite causes of formation of gall stones but there are certain risk factors like fertile females more than 40 and obesity. These gall stones may cause infection and inflammation in the gall bladder thereby causing severe pain, vomiting and fever. Sometimes these stones might result in blockage of the flow of bile in the common bile duct causing jaundice.
How is it diagnosed?
Almost all of the problems of the gall bladder are diagnosed by doing an ultrasound scan with certain blood tests.
Sometime one may require to undergo an MRI scan if the gall stones block the flow of bile.
Occasionally endoscopic removal (ERCP) of the gall stones might be required from the common bile duct.
Common bile duct (CBD) exploration is done sometimes when there are stones in the bile ducts which cannot be removed by ERCP.
Advantages of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy:
