Facts About Gallbladder Surgery Queens NY Patients May Be Interested In

By Matthew Powell


The gall bladder is small organ in your body, just adjacent to the liver, whose function is to store a special juice referred to as bile produced by the liver. Bile is released whenever there is fat to be digested in the gut. The juices reach the intestines through channels that connect the liver, gall bladder, pancreas and bowel. In some instances, these ducts can get blocked resulting in a diseased sac that may require surgery. These are some of the basic principles of gallbladder surgery Queens NY patients may be interested in.

The presence of gallstones, also medically referred to as cholelithiasis, is one of the diseases affecting the gall bladder that may require removal of the organ for cure. In this condition, crystallized molecules composed of different elements form within the bladder, interfering with its normal function. There are two main types of stones, cholesterol stones and pigment stones of which over fifty percent are cholesterol in form. A person is at a greater risk of having the stones if they have had a similar episode in the past, if they are obese, chronically dehydrated, if they are female and if older than forty years of age.

Gallstones present as abdominal pain in the region where the bladder is located, that is the right upper quadrant of the abdomen. The pain is usually intermittent and may be associated with food intake. It usually is an intense pain that may last several hours. This happens when a stone is released from the gallbladder and gets lodged into one of the biliary ducts (transport channels). The stone travels back and forth due to peristaltic waves within the ducts hence the intermittency of the pain. The itensity of discomfort is directly proportional to the size and number of stones.

The patient may also have a distended abdomen. Additional signs and symptoms include yellowness of the skin and mucous membranes, fever, nausea, vomiting and consequent dehydration. The initial management of these patients is to provide supportive therapy as surgery is planned. This entails restoring hydration status though administration of intravenous fluids, analgesic support and drugs to reduce the inflammation.

Management of gallstones should be given the attention it deserves because negligence can lead to irreversible damage of critical organs in the body. The presence of stones triggers an inflammatory response that if left to go on without intervention, can result in spillage of bile once the gallbladder gets perforated.

Since gallstones have a high tendency to recur, they are best treated by simply getting rid of your gallbladder through a surgical procedure called cholecystectomy, usually performed under general anaesthesia. In preparing the patient for surgery, the doctor will do specific laboratory tests to check whether your system can withstand the stress of an operation. The operating team will also need an abdominal ultrasound to have an idea of how severe the damage is before they go in.

The operation can either be laparoscopic or open depending on the resources available. Laparoscopy is, however, more preferred because it carries less risk given the fact that only small incisions are made, limited to the target area. Consequently, cosmetic results are better than if one goes for open surgery.

In conclusion, gall bladder surgery is indicated for eighty percent of patients with gallstones. This is because most patients present when they can no longer bear the pain or when medications have failed. Surgery is the preferred form of treatment since it eliminates chances of recurrence if done properly.




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