Biliary disease can be treated medically through lifestyle changes and medication, and operatively, through traditional or laparoscopic surgery. Some gallstones can be managed with drugs or by making dietary adjustments, such as drastically cutting down on fat intake. However, when severe gallbladder symptoms occur, removal is the only option. Each year, more than 500,000 Americans undergo gallbladder surgery. The traditional approach is called open cholecystectomy and is a major procedure requiring a large incision.
Patients stay in hospital for about three days and then recover at home for several weeks.
Laparoscopic gallbladder removal takes place under general anesthesia, so the patient is asleep throughout the procedure. Each incision is for the placement of a trocar, a narrow tube-like instrument, through which instruments or a small camera enter the body. The first trocar allows the surgeon access into the abdomen through the navel. The surgeon then views the patient's internal organs on a video monitor. Three additional trocars are inserted into the abdomen to accommodate special instrumentation.