Common Conditions

Gallstones: Operation

The anaesthetic is given through a needle in the back of your hand and you will fall asleep within seconds. A small dose of heparin is given to reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis, the abdominal area is cleaned with an antiseptic and the site draped with sterile towels.

The abdominal cavity is filled with a gas (carbon dioxide) and the camera and instruments inserted. The gallbladder is identified and removed. The cuts in the skin are then closed up. My preference is to use 'dissolvable' sutures which are absorbed by the body over a period of a few weeks and therefore do not have to be removed. The entire area is treated with a long acting local anaesthetic which provides excellent pain relief for the first few hours.

Sometimes, it is necessary to leave a tube (drain) in the abdominal cavity to help drain any blood or fluids that may collect. The drain is usually removed in 24 to 48 hours. The gallstones will be given to you and the gallbladder itself sent, as a matter of course, to be looked at under the microscope (histology).