Monday, May 16, 2016

By Christine Roberts


The gall bladder is an organ that receives and concentrates bile from the liver and releases it into the digestive tract after a meal. The organ may be affected by a number of diseases that include tumors, gall stones and infections among others. In some cases, there is a need to open it up so as to deal with the problem. The laparoscopic technique is among the most popular approaches used today. There are a number of things on laparoscopic gallbladder surgery Houston residents need to know.

Your doctor will subject you to a number of tests before they make a decision to take you in for the operation. Ultrasound, CT scan and other imaging studies are among the most informative. They not only help in the diagnosis and staging of the illness but also go a long way into helping the surgeon decide whether surgery will be beneficial in a particular case. A more invasive but useful test is known as magnetic resonance cholangio-pancreatograhy (MRCP).

If a decision is made in favor of the operation, you will then be prepared. Part of this preparation will involve having more tests. One of the most important set of tests are the liver function tests which are frequently affected by gallbladder disease. You will be advised to stop taking any drugs, foods or supplements that are likely to put you at risk of excessive bleeding. Common examples include nicotine, aspirin and blood thinners.

The abdomen is usually opened using three small incisions (ports). These are used to insert the surgical instruments as well as the camera (laparoscope). Images from the camera are transmitted onto a monitor in the operating room and this guides the surgeon through the entire operation. The ports are also used to introduce a small amount of carbon dioxide gas into the abdominal cavity so as to make individual organs more distinct and accessible.

The procedure is usually done under general anesthesia. With this type of anesthesia, one is put to sleep and only awoken once the surgery has been completed. The average time for the operation is about two hours. Restoration of bile flow is immediate. If the gall bladder is removed (cholecystectomy), bile will not be stored as before and will flow directly into the digestive tract.

You need to familiarize yourself with the likely complications that may be encountered with this operation. In the short term, patients may suffer from infections, injury to abdominal structures and bleeding. About 5 in 100 operations are difficult to perform and require conversion to the open technique. This may come about due to excessive inflammation or scar tissue.

The laparoscopic approach has some advantages over the open procedure. Among them is the fact that the small incisions that are used result in small scars after healing occurs. Using such incisions also means that there will be less pain and a lower risk of bleeding. Most importantly, however, is that the recovery times associated with this technique are a lot shorter than those required for the open procedure.

It is possible to have this procedure in either an outpatient or an inpatient facility. The latter option is preferred by most surgeons due to the use of general anesthesia. In the inpatient facility, the patient can be observed for a day or two before they are discharged home. On average, resumption of normal activities is at seven to ten days. No special diet is required during recovery.




About the Author:



Related Posts:

0 commentaires:

Post a Comment

Popular Posts