Following are the steps of laparoscopic surgery:

 

1. Anaethesia is given to the patient
2. Small holes are made in the abdomen
3. Through these small holes instruments are put in to perform the surgery
4. After the surgery the holes are stitched.

You will only need to stay overnight to recover from laparoscopic cholecystectomy. 

Laparoscopic surgeries are less painful than open surgery. For pain the patient can take pain killers.

Non-surgical treatments usually do not work.

In some cases drugs dissolve gallstones, if taken over a period of time, and once the treatment is stopped the stones generally form again.

The drugs work only for small cholesterol stones.

The drugs may cause mild diarrhea, and one of them may temporarily raise levels of blood cholesterol and certain liver enzymes.

The patient can undergo 'open surgery', But laparoscopic surgery is the gold standard for cholecystectomy.

It is recommended to eat plain food without too much of spices and take plenty of water.

Laparoscopic surgeries have lesser side effects than open surgeries,  chances of infection, bleeding or biliary injury are less.

Every operation has risks, but the surgeon and anaesthetist will take great care to prevent complications. Complications that may occur include bleeding, infection, injury to the liver or to an adjacent loop of bowel and, very rarely, pancreatitis. There are also risks associated with the general anaesthetic, including pneumonia, heart problems, and blood clots in the calf veins and lungs. The bile duct runs close to the gallbladder and there is a small risk of injury to the bile duct. The gallbladder is like a pear, hanging off a branch (the bile duct). The surgeon has to cut the stalk of the pear and remove it, without damaging the branch. Injury to the bile duct is a very rare but serious complication (2 to 3 in a thousand or less than 0.3%). This may lead to a bile leak, or to jaundice due to a narrowing or blockage of the bile duct. It may need a major operation to repair it. Occasionally, a stone may slip into the bile duct during the operation, and later cause pain or jaundice or abnormal blood tests. If that happens, it can usually be removed later by doing an ERCP. The vast majority of patients who have a laparoscopic cholecystectomy experience few or no complications and quickly return to normal activity. There can, however, be no “one hundred percent guarantee” that a laparoscopic cholecystectomy will get rid of all the symptoms. A small minority of patients continue to suffer from their symptoms even though they have had their gall bladder removed, and then need further tests to see if they have some other disease condition that may be causing their pain.

Before surgery

- Blood tests

- Chest X-ray and ECG

- Not eat or drink anything for at least 6 hours before the operation

- Morning doses of regular medications (if any) may be taken with a sip of water, unless advised not to by a doctor or nurse.

- An injection may be given to make the blood less sticky and so prevent blood clots on the day of the surgery.

• In Laparoscopy some small holes are made unlike in open surgery where a big slit is made during the surgery. Hence in Laparoscopy a small scar or no scar is the result

 

• Laparoscopic surgeries have lesser side effects than open surgeries,  chances of infection, bleeding or biliary injury are less.

 

• After the surgery there is only 24-48 stay at the hospital. After 48 hours you will be allowed to leave for your home. At home you will need to take pain killers for another 2-3 days.

 

• You can start working within 1-2 weeks.

 

• Avoid heavy lifting and driving for 6 weeks

 

• You should contact your doctor if you observe any of the following as it can be due to some complications

1. yellow discolouration of the skin and eyes,
2. abdominal pain,
3. nausea,
4. vomiting,
5. abdominal swelling,
6. discharge from the wound,

Bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder before being secreted into the small intestine. After a cholecystectomy, the bile will flow directly from the liver into the small intestine.

Cholecystectomy will be needed in case the gallbladder becomes inflamed, infected or in case of gall stone

In Laparoscopy some small holes are made unlike in open surgery where a big slit is made during the surgery. Hence in Laparoscopy a small scar or no scar is the result