Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy

What is laparoscopic cholecystectomy?

Cholecystectomy is one of the most frequent surgeries performed in the abdominal area, and the great health development has led to the development of new techniques and methods in cholecystectomy, which contributed to increasing its spread, reducing its risks, and returning the patient to his normal life faster than before.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is known as the laparoscopic removal of the gallbladder sac for medical reasons, which is a medical tool in the form of a tube equipped with a camera at one end, which enters the body through a small incision made in the navel area, and several other small incisions on the sides of the abdomen through which the gallbladder is removed, instead of the old method of cholecystectomy through a large surgical incision in the right side of the abdomen.

The gallbladder is defined as a small sac located below the liver, in the upper right side of the abdomen, whose function is to store bile that is produced in the liver, which contributes to facilitating the digestion of fats.

What are the steps for laparoscopic cholecystectomy?

The patient is given general anesthesia by a specialist anesthesiologist.
A small incision is made in the navel area to insert a carbon dioxide pumping tube into the abdominal area, and this gas is safe in the patient's body and is not flammable, pumping this gas helps to keep the abdominal wall away from the internal organs, which contributes to clearer vision and easier surgery during the operation.
The endoscope is inserted through the surgical incision in the navel area, allowing a view of what is inside through the camera installed at its end.
Small incisions are made in specific places of the abdomen, through which surgical instruments that are used in cholecystectomy are inserted.
The gallbladder is removed, the area is cleaned, any fluids or blood resulting from this operation are suctioned, and no blood collection is formed during the operation.
Wounds are sutured, sterilized and covered with sterile gauze.

What are the advantages of laparoscopic cholecystectomy?

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has replaced the traditional cholecystectomy in most cases where laparoscopic use is not contraindicated, due to the benefits resulting from it, which are as follows:

Less painful, as the small incisions used in the laparoscopic operation expose the patient to less pain than the pain caused by the large wound used in the traditional operation.
The patient's stay in the hospital after the operation is shorter when performing the operation through the endoscope.
The patient returns to his normal life and work faster than if he or she undergoes open surgery.
The patient has a lower risk of developing hernia after the operation due to the smaller size of the surgical incisions used compared to the traditional surgery.
Avoid a large scar of the wound after the laparoscopic operation.

What are the methods of cholecystectomy?

Gallbladder removal surgery is usually performed using surgical intervention, and doctors can remove the gallbladder in one of two ways:

Open surgery: During this procedure, the surgeon makes an 11 to 15 cm incision in your abdomen to remove the gallbladder.

You need open surgery if you have a bleeding disorder, have severe gallbladder disease, are overweight or are in the last trimester of pregnancy.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: Doctors also call it keyhole surgery, where it makes four small incisions, inserting a very thin, flexible tube that contains light and a small video camera into your abdomen.

The insertion of the tube helps the doctor to see the gallbladder better, and then he adds special tools to remove the gallbladder.

For both types of surgery, you will receive general anesthesia, meaning that you will sleep during it and will not feel any pain while doing it.

What are the most important tips after laparoscopic cholecystectomy?

The following is a list of instructions that the doctor gives you after laparoscopic cholecystectomy and all these instructions must be taken care of so that the recovery period is fine without any problems, knowing that these instructions may vary from patient to patient, but they provide a general idea of the recovery stage of cholecystectomy to help you improve.

Activity and effort

You are likely to feel tired for at least a week after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, stick to medication appointments according to the pain you may feel in order to stay active, walk once or twice during the day, and the patient can go up and down the stairs as long as the patient does not feel any dizziness or weakness, which helps reduce the risk of blood clots after surgery. Make sure someone is there the first few times you use the stairs or exercise.

When do I recover from the operation?

The length of time it takes to heal depends on the type of surgery you have had.

If you remove the gallbladder by open surgery, you need to stay in the hospital for a few days afterwards. It can take between 6 to 8 weeks for your body to fully heal.

If you use laparoscopic cholecystectomy, you have less pain and heal faster than open surgery, likely returning to your usual routine within two weeks.

What preparations are necessary before laparoscopic cholecystectomy?

Before laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the doctor performs some important tests such as blood function, kidney function analysis, clotting tests, in addition to ultrasound of the urinary tract.

In order to properly prepare for the operation, you should completely stop eating food of all kinds at least four hours before the operation or depending on the case, and the surgeon will request a list of all medications and nutritional supplements used to stop some of them, especially medicines to treat strokes that increase the risk of bleeding during the operation.

What happens after laparoscopic cholecystectomy?

After laparoscopic cholecystectomy and after the anesthetic wears off, the patient is confined in the hospital for only one day to check on his health and then the patient returns home to begin the journey of recovery .

The recovery period after the operation is usually short, unlike open surgeries, which require more care and a longer hospital stay. One of the advantages of laparoscopic cholecystectomy is that the patient does not feel severe pain throughout the recovery period.

It is important that the patient adheres to all the doctor's instructions, both those related to movement as well as adherence to the treatment program in order to spend a shorter recovery period and get a full recovery.

The patient should monitor his condition in the days immediately after the operation and seek the help of a relative or friend in case of any possible complications; in the event of bleeding at the site of the wound, difficulty urinating, breathing problems, severe pain or an increase in temperature than normal, you should go to the surgeon quickly for an immediate examination and to determine the condition.

What are the results of laparoscopic cholecystectomy?

The results of laparoscopic cholecystectomy are impressive, as it prevents the pain and discomfort caused by gallstones and cholecystitis, which were previously failed to treat by the use of painkillers, medicines and nutritional programs intended to treat gallbladder problems.

Full recovery from laparoscopic cholecystectomy requires only a short period after which the patient can return to his normal life with all its activities in addition to returning to work within days, while open cholecystectomy requires longer periods and greater comfort.

Some people are afraid to undergo cholecystectomy because they think that surgery will negatively affect the functions of the digestive system, which is completely untrue! Of course, we are aware of the importance of gallbladder and its great role in digesting food, especially fat digestion, but cholecystectomy does not really affect this matter significantly.

You may notice at first, immediately after the operation, the shape of the stool changes or turns into something like liquid, which is one of the simple side effects of the operation, which usually does not require any medical intervention in addition to its disappearance with time, but if you notice persistent problems in the bowel movement that affect the rate of use of the bathroom, you should visit a doctor to diagnose the problem and receive appropriate treatment.

How long is the expected recovery period after gallbladder cystectomy surgery?

The recovery process after surgical removal of the gallbladder cyst depends on the patient's factors - age, general health status, etc. But recovery mainly depends on the type of surgery performed. Recovery after laparoscopic surgery is faster, requires fewer days in the hospital, and causes less pain to the patient.
After laparoscopic surgery, most therapists get out of bed about a day later and go home. After two or three days the patient can often walk without difficulty. Most patients return to work about a week after surgery, and to moderate physical activity shortly after that. In contrast, after open surgery, the expected recovery period until normal activity can be performed is about six weeks.

What are the risks of laparoscopic cholecystectomy?

The risks you may have during or after laparoscopic cholecystectomy are lower than all open surgeries.

1. The presence of infection at the site of the wound.

An infection may occur at the site of the opening made by the doctor, usually this infection is something that is not worrying and is treated pharmacologically, but in rare cases the infection may reach the lower layers in the abdomen and skin, in that case the doctor opens the wound again to clean it of bacteria and infection. In most cases, the doctor takes all necessary precautions to prevent the possibility of infection during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, such as paying attention to all sterilization steps and using the latest devices and endoscopes to prevent the transmission of infection.

2. Bleeding

Bleeding occurs during the first day after the operation due to tissue damage sometimes, and it is usually inside the hospital, so it will not be serious, but in rare cases bleeding may occur after weeks and he may have to perform surgery to stop the bleeding, and the patient must tell all the medications he is taking in order to make sure that no drug interference such as liquidity drugs occurs.

Risks of anesthesia.

These risks are common in all surgeries in which anesthesia is performed, some minor muscle spasms or headaches may occur, and in very rare cases shock may occur that causes blood pressure to drop after anesthesia.

However, all necessary precautions are taken by the cholecystectomy doctor and the accompanying medical team by reviewing the patient's medical history and whether there are any similar cases in the family that have occurred with her as well as about the medications the patient is taking.

There are also some risks that are only related to laparoscopic cholecystectomy, most of which result from a medical error, such as: injury to the liver, kidneys or diaphragm due to being located very close to the site of the operation.

Or bile leakage during the procedure due to a medical error that damaged the gallbladder itself or the gallbladder ducts. Or the occurrence of kidney failure due to allergies. But the patient can avoid all these risks by choosing a cholecystectomy doctor who is an expert in this type of operation, as well as choosing a hospital or medical center equipped with all the preparations and devices that facilitate the operation without any severe risks.