Although some medical treatments are available, none have been shown to be as effective as surgery. The conventional operation to remove the gallbladder requires an abdominal incision under the right side of the rib cage, which cuts through the skin and muscle. A hospital stay of 3-5 days is usually required and the time to full recovery and return to work is measured in weeks. A laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a minimally invasive approach that involves specialized video equipment and instruments that allow a surgeon to remove the gallbladder through four tiny incisions, most of which are less than a half-centimeter in size. One advantage of this method is a brief hospitalization.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a safe and effective treatment of gallbladder disease.
However, in the presence of infection, adhesions, or variations in anatomy, this method becomes dangerous and your surgeon may need to make the prudent decision to continue by making the traditional incision to safely complete the operation. This should not bee seen as a failure, but as a wise decision by your surgeon to prevent dangerous complications. Other complications, although rare, include bleeding and infection. It is extremely uncommon to require a blood transfusion for this operation. This injury may be identified and fixed at the time of surgery or in the days following surgery.