Open gallbladder removal is surgery to remove the gallbladder.

Cholecystectomy - open

In gallbladder removal surgery, a surgeon makes a large incision (cut) in your belly to open it up and see the area. The surgeon then removes your gallbladder by reaching in through the incision and gently lifting it out.

Surgery is done while you are under general anesthesia (unconscious and unable to feel pain).

The surgeon will make a 5 to 7 inch incision in the upper right part of your belly, just below your ribs. The surgeon will cut the bile duct and blood vessels that lead to the gallbladder. Then your gallbladder will be removed.

A special x-ray called a cholangiogram will be done during the surgery. This involves squirting some dye into your common bile duct. This duct will be left inside you after your gallbladder has been removed. The dye helps locate other stones that may be outside your gallbladder. If any are found, the surgeon may be able to remove these other stones with a special medical instrument.

Open gallbladder removal surgery takes about an hour.

Your doctor may recommend gallbladder removal surgery if you have gallstones or your gallbladder is not functioning normally (biliary dyskinesia).

You may have some or all of these symptoms:

• Pain after eating, usually in the upper right or upper middle area of your belly (epigastric pain)
• Nausea and vomiting
• Indigestion
• Infection (cholecystitis)

The most common way to remove the gallbladder is by using a medical instrument called a laparoscope. See also: Gallbladder removal - laparoscopic

Other reasons for this surgery may be:

Images

Cholecystolithiasis

Gallbladder

Cholecystitis, cholangiogram

Cholecystitis, CT scan

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Gallbladder removal Risks

Review Date: 11/15/2008
Reviewed By: A.D.A.M. Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, David R. Eltz. Previously reviewed by Robert J. Fitzgibbons, Jr., MD, FACS, Harry E. Stuckenhoff Professor of Surgery, Chief of General Surgery, and Associate Chairman, Department of Surgery, Creighton University School of Medicine (11/15/2008).

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)