In the past, open abdominal surgery was the standard treatment. This procedure required a 3 to 7 day stay in the hospital and a 3 to 7 inch incision and scar on the abdomen. Gynecologists have long used this technique to tie the Fallopian tubes and to inspect the female reproductive organs. Now the use of laparoscopy has been expanded to include removing a diseased gallbladder. With new video technology, the laparoscope has become a miniature television camera.
Powerful magnification is now possible, showing the intestinal organs in great detail.
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy A cholecystectomy is the surgical removal of the gallbladder. Using advanced laparoscopic technology, it is now possible to remove the gallbladder through a tiny incision at the navel. The technique is performed as follows. The patient receives general anesthesia. The surgeon inflates the abdomen with carbon dioxide, a harmless gas, for easier viewing and to provide room for the surgery to be performed.