Gallstones can cause extreme pain and may restrict patients’ day-to-day activities, particularly limiting what they can eat or drink
Surgical removal of the gallbladder (also known as cholecystectomy) is the best treatment for gallstones in most such cases
Why book your consultation with the Northern Surgical Clinic?
With the Northern Surgical Clinic, you benefit from:
The expertise of a specialist in liver and biliary surgery
Personalised care tailored to your clinical needs
Rapid access to support and advice throughout your surgical journey
Routine follow up visits after surgery free of charge*
*Up to two routine follow up visits
What role does the gallbladder perform in the body? and why do gallstones happen?
The gallbladder stores some of the bile produced by the liver which helps to digest fatty food. Gallstones form when some bile components are present in higher or lower concentrations than normal. It is not entirely clear why some people are more prone to gallstones than others.
Can I live without the gallbladder?
A small number of patients experience looser stools after removal of the gallbladder but the vast majority of patients manage very well without the gallbladder. The liver will still produce bile regularly to digest fat in the diet.
Can gallstones cause any complications if untreated?
Gallstones can result in severe and repeated pain in some people. Gallstones can also result in inflammation of the gallbladder and infrequently may erode into nearby organs such as the bowel. Gallstones can occasionally move from the gallbladder into the bile duct causing jaundice or pancreatitis, both of which can be serious and life-threatening conditions.
Are there any other ways to treat gallstones besides surgery?
Techniques to dissolve or breakdown gallstones have been described in the medical literature but none of these have been shown to be clinically effective.
Should I have my gallbladder removed?
If you have suffered with pain or complications resulting from gallstones, then it is recommended that you have your gallbladder removed.
What does gallbladder removal surgery involve?
Surgery to remove the gallbladder is usually performed as a keyhole procedure (laparoscopic cholecystectomy) under a general anaesthetic.
Most patients are discharged home on the same day and are usually able to get back to light activities within a few days or so.
Gallbladder removal surgery is recognised to be a safe procedure with low risk of complications. The most common of complications arising from this procedure are wound infections which occur in approximately 1 in 30 patients. Your consultant will discuss any potential risks with you in more detail at the time of your appointment.
Occasionally, your consultant may decide to perform the gallbladder removal surgery through a larger incision rather than through keyhole surgery. This is known as open cholecystectomy. The decision to perform open surgery will only be made if keyhole surgery cannot be performed safely. This decision can either be made during the operation or at an earlier stage.
Patients who undergo open surgery tend to stay in hospital for a few days after the procedure and it generally takes a few weeks longer to recover from open surgery in comparison to keyhole surgery.