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 Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the removal of the gallbladder with very small incisions, is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the United States. The gallbladder is a small pear-shaped pouch situated under the liver in the upper right part of the abdomen. It stores bile, a liquid produced by the liver, and then releases it into the intestine to help digestion. Gallstones are small, hard stones, which can sometimes develop in the gallbladder. They can result in a blockage of the flow of bile out of the gallbladder and symptoms that can include pain, jaundice (yellowed skin), and fever. The body can function well without a gallbladder and removing it is a common treatment for gallstones that are causing symptoms.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy uses approximately 4 small incisions to extract the gall bladder. In most cases, the surgery is well tolerated and the patient is discharged home the day after surgery. Although there are many advantages to laparoscopy, the procedure may not be appropriate for some patients who have had previous upper abdominal surgery or who have some pre-existing medical conditions. A thorough medical evaluation by your personal physician, in consultation with a surgeon trained in laparoscopy, can determine if laparoscopic gallbladder removal is an appropriate procedure for you.
The latest technological advance in laparoscopic surgery is a single incision procedure, where surgeons reduce the operative site to a single small incision around the belly button resulting in minimal discomfort and a barely visible scar compared to traditional laparoscopic surgery requiring four small incisions. In select cholcystectomy patients, the surgeons at the New Jersey Bariatric Center perform this ground breaking procedure potentially enabling the patients to encounter less post-operative pain, less scar tissue and faster recovery to normal activity.
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