GALLBLADDER

When gallstones grow too large, they can cause a sudden and painful gallbladder attack. When it gets to that point, surgery to remove the gallbladder is the most effective treatment. Abel Bello, MD, and the physicians at MIB Surgery have years of experience performing successful laparoscopic gallbladder surgery, which helps patients recover quickly from acute gallbladder attacks.

What gallbladder conditions require surgery?

Bile is a substance produced by the liver and then stored in the gallbladder. Your gallbladder releases bile into the small intestine when it is needed to digest fats. If the gallbladder is removed, bile flows from the liver directly into the small intestine, so food is digested properly.

Gallbladder removal is the main treatment for common gallbladder problems, such as:

Cholecystitis: cholecystitis, an inflamed gallbladder, develops when the bile duct is blocked by gallstones. As a result, bile builds up, creating pressure inside the gallbladder that damages the tissues. Without treatment, the gallbladder can tear or rupture.

Gallstones: Bile contains several substances, including cholesterol and bilirubin. Gallstones form when an excessive amount of cholesterol or bilirubin binds together and forms stones or hard pieces. Gallstones do not cause symptoms until they block the bile duct, then cause inflammation and infection in the gallbladder. Once gallstones begin to cause symptoms, removal of the gallbladder is recommended.

What symptoms develop due to gallbladder disease?

Gallstones and cholecystitis cause symptoms that include:

• Pain in your right upper abdomen
• Pain in your right shoulder or back
• Abdominal tenderness and pain
• Nausea and vomiting
• Fever
• If the bile duct becomes blocked and bile backs up into the gallbladder, you will have an acute attack of sudden, severe pain that may last for hours.

What happens during gallbladder surgery?

Dr. Abel Bello performs a cholecystectomy or surgery to remove the gallbladder using minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery. This type of surgery is performed through several very small incisions and specialized tools in narrow tubes that are placed through the incisions.

The laparoscope, which is inserted into an incision, contains lighting and a high-definition camera that sends an image of the surgical area to a monitor.

The tools needed to perform your surgery are inserted through the other incisions. Your doctor then manipulates the tools while viewing the monitor.

Dr. Bello also specializes in robotic-assisted surgery using the da Vinci Surgical System. This is a laparoscopic procedure in which your surgeon controls the robotic arms that hold the surgical tools.

The robotic system responds to sensors in the surgeon's hands, using technology that allows for greater precision and range of motion than can be achieved with manual procedures.

Whether manual or robotic, the small incisions made during minimally invasive surgery cause less trauma. As a result, you have minimal bleeding, less postoperative pain and a quick recovery.