What is Gallbladder?

The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ which is a part of the human digestion system, just right below the liver. Gallbladder main function is to store and transport bile. Bile is yellowish brown fluid, a combination of Fat and Cholesterol, which is produced by the liver.

During the meal, bile is traveled to the gallbladder where bile is stored and released until use. Bile is used to break down fat from the food in the small intestine. Bile helps vitamins and nutrients to be absorbed into the bloodstream. A gallbladder can store in between 30 and 80 milliliters of bile.

Usually, people do not care about the gallbladder until they face the problem associated with the gallbladder. However, the gallbladder is not necessary for human survival as bile can reach the small intestine in other ways. But when a gallbladder problem arises, it could be painful and require immediate action. The problems with Gallbladder can be biliary colic, Gallstone, cholecystitis, pancreatitis, and cholangitis.

What are the Types of Gallbladder Problems?

A disease which affects gallbladder is considered as gallbladder disease or problem. The following are the conditions of all type of gallbladder diseases.

Inflammation of the gallbladder:

Inflammation of the gallbladder tissue is called cholecystitis, usually may cause of pain in the upper right abdomen and which can radiate to shoulder or back. It can also give tenderness to the abdomen when it is pressed or touched. It can be either short-term or long-term. This type of inflammation results in several acute cholecystitis attacks which damage the gallbladder or make it unable to function correctly.

Gallstones:

Gallstones are small solid pigments, which develop on its own and not be detected for many years until they cause problem or pain. Usually, most stones are formed from the fat or cholesterol in the bile. But some type of gallstone like pigment stone is formed from calcium bilirubinate. When your body breaks down RBC(red blood cells), a chemical is produced which cause Calcium bilirubinate. This type of stone is rare.

Common bile duct stones:

Common bile duct stones (Choledocholithiasis) are gallstones that is present in the common bile duct. This may be developed in the gallbladder and then passed into the bile duct. These types of stone are called a secondary common bile duct stone. It can block the flow of bile and make the gallbladder inflamed or distended.

Gallbladder disease without stones

Gallbladder disease without the stones is Acalculous Cholecystitis, which has similar symptoms as gallstone. In this case, Gallbladder muscles and valve are not working and this type of complication occurs in a serious disorder like Trauma or burns which may not appear easily.

Common bile duct infection:

An infection may develop if the common bile duct is blocked by a gallstone. The infection can be caused by bacteria which can spread and cause a tumor.

Abscess of the gallbladder:

Gallstones that develop pus in the gallbladder is called empyema. Pus is a combination of white blood cells, bacteria, and dead tissue. The development of pus in the gallbladder leads to abdominal pain. If the condition isn’t diagnosed and treated, the infection can spread to other parts of the body and it could be life-threatening.

Perforated gallbladder:

If the gallstone is not treated, gallstones can be a reason for a perforated gallbladder that can be life-threatening. It also can develop an infection if not detected.

Gallbladder polyps:

Polyps are growths in the gallbladder that develop. These are noncancerous and Small gallbladder polyps need not be removed. They are not harmful until they are really large in size as larger polyps may cause to develop cancer.

Porcelain gallbladders:

Porcelain gallbladder is the condition in which the gallbladder wall is stiffened by calcium. People whose gallbladder is developing this type of problem, are on the higher risk of gallbladder cancer.

Gallbladder Cancer:

Gallbladder cancer is very rare, but it easily spread in the gallbladder also in the other part of the body, if it is not detected or treated. The symptoms of gallbladder cancer are similar to other gallbladder problems like nausea, vomiting, jaundice, fever.

What are the Symptoms of a Gallbladder Problem?

Pain in abdomen: Pain is the most common symptom of the gallbladder problem. It may occur from mild and irregular to very severe in the mid and upper abdomen. Gallbladder pain can also affect the other part of the body like chest and back.

Nausea or vomiting: The common symptoms of all types of gallbladder problems are Nausea and vomiting. But in the long term of the gallbladder diseases may lead to the digestive problem which could be also for a long period.
Fever: Fever may give you a signal of an infection in the body. If you have an infection, it can worsen and become dangerous.
Bowel movement: Unexplained bowel movement, having more than four bowel movements per day for at least three months may be a sign of chronic gallbladder disease.
Jaundice: Body color also gives you a signal, when Bile is not able to reach the intestine. Skin gets paled due to the blockage of the bile duct. This blockage is caused by the gallstone.
Change in stools or urine color: Urine and stool color are also the sign of gallbladder problem. Dark urine and light colored or chalky stool may point to a blocked duct of bile.

When to see a doctor?

If anyone sees any of the above-mentioned gallbladder symptoms, should seek medical attention. Mild pain, that goes away on its own, does not need immediate attention. If the symptoms are more severe and include the following, a patient should take an appointment immediately:

Upper-right quadrant pain that does not go away within 5 hours
Fever, nausea, or vomiting
Changes in bowel movement and urine
This combination of symptoms can indicate a serious infection or inflammation that needs immediate treatment.

What are Gallstones & Its Causes?

Gallstones are the pieces of Solid materials which forms under the Gallbladder. One may not have the idea of having Gall stones until it blocks the bile duct and causes pain.

The most common cause of having Gallstones is Cholesterol. If Your Bile has more cholesterol, Gallstones are more likely to develop. Other causes are:-

Genes or Genetic Factors
Weight
Diet
Gall Bladder Problem

It may also occur if your Gallbladder is not completely empty.

How to Diagnose a Gallbladder problem?

If a patient is suspected of a gallbladder problem, the doctor may advise you the following:

Ultrasound and CT scans are commonly used to image the gallbladder.
Tests to check the bile ducts for stones include MRI, hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scans, and an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).
Blood tests to reveal signs of infection, inflammation of the bile ducts, pancreatitis, or other complications caused by gallstones.

Do we require a Surgery for Gall Bladder?

If the only option is to remove the gall bladder, then surgery is the only technique.

What are the Surgical Options for Gallbladder Treatments?

- Gallbladder surgery or Cholecystectomy

The most common procedure in which a surgeon removes the gallbladder completely known as Cholecystectomy. Surgery can be done by three different methods using either laparoscopy or laparotomy.

- Open (traditional) method:

This surgery performed under local anesthesia After patient anesthesia administered patient belly cleaned to avoid any infection. The surgeon after makes 4 to 6-inch incision to the patient upper right side of the abdomen. And then gallbladder carefully removed. With open surgery, the patient will likely be in the hospital for 2-3 days.

- Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal Surgery:

Also, this surgery performed under local anesthesia. Laparoscopic Gallbladder removal surgery, a surgeon typically insert three to four near about 5 to 10 mm small incisions in the abdomen area and carefully remove a gallbladder. This surgery usually takes 1- 2 hours of time.

In this surgery method, less pain and less bleeding happen compare to open surgery. The patient can return home on the same day but sometimes may need to stay in the hospital in the night.

Laparoscopic gallbladder removal surgery requires less recovery time and has a lower risk of infection compared to the traditional open surgery. The patient can Recovery time takes a week to fully recover.

- Single‑incision laparoscopic cholecystectomy (SILS)Laparoscopic Gallbladder Removal Surgery:

In this method, the surgeon removes the Gallbladder through a single incision in the abdomen area.

Why SILS is better than Standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Very less pain
Shorter Recovery Time
Very few wound complications
No Scar
Use Single Incision
Advanced Latest Technology
Very Safe
The patient can return on the same day.

Dr. Mir Asif Rehman is the only Laparoscopic surgeon in Gurugram who are performing such kind of surgery.

What are the Non- Surgical Options for Gallbladder or Gallstones Treatments?

Applying Nonsurgical ways can be safest and painless, yet chants of reoccurrence are more. Non-surgical ways may just Destroy the symptoms, but do not prevent forming the gallstones. The non-surgical treatments are:-

Bile Salt: Some supplements of Drug is taken to cure the gallstone formed from cholesterol depending upon the size of the stones. It does not work for bile pigments. The process may take months to recover
Shock Wave Therapy: This is rarely used in which high-frequency sound waves are passed to fragment the stones. After that, bile salt is administered to dissolve small pieces.
ERCP Test: Gallstones can be removed during the ERCP test while inserting endoscope instruments.

These non-surgical therapies have short term effects and may have chances of reoccurrences.

What are the Complications /Risks attached to Gallbladder Surgery?

Gallbladder removal is a common procedure that rarely results in severe complications.

The surgery often causes disruption in your digestive system for a period of time, but this is an expected side effect of the procedure and shouldn’t be alarming.

In some cases, though, more severe complications develop, such as bile leaking into the abdominal cavity, injury to a bile duct, and attacks of pain in the area. These can occur on top of general surgery complications like infection, bleeding, blood clots, and scarring.

You shouldn’t hesitate to contact your doctor if you experience any signs of a complication that may need treatment.

What is the Preparation before the Surgical Treatment for Gallbladder or Gallstones?

The doctor may advise you to:-

Drink a solution to clean out your intestines
Prohibit eating anything last night
Stop the medication and supplements to reduce the risk of bleeding.

What is the Post Operating care for Gallbladder Surgical Treatment?

After the surgery, Healthy lifestyle should be decided. For a healthy gallbladder, you should maintain a healthy lifestyle and well-balanced diet that are good for gallbladder:

Diet for a healthy gallbladder

Have fruits and vegetable which are high in fiber and vitamin C, because lacking in these ingredients can lead to a gallstone. Radishes are prohibited for patients, who have a gallbladder issue.
Fish, pork, lamb and skinless chicken are also good choices for healthy gall bladder.
Include oats, bran cereal and brown rice in your diet.
Take low-fat food and dairy product.
Caffeine from coffee can reduce the risk of gallstone but caffeine from tea is not beneficial.
Take a proper amount of water.
Eating peanuts or tree nuts such as almonds and walnuts in a proper amount is helpful in preventing gallstones.
Reduce carbohydrate and sugar intake.

How can UPHI Surgical Centre help you?

UPHI Follows all the diagnostic measurements to check for the actual size of gallstones, exact gallbladder problems, & causes Thereof
Medical Representatives will regularly follow up with the patients to book their appointment, report results, and other admission procedures.
Dedicated medical staff will be appointed to care for the patients.
Only experienced and well-qualified surgeons will perform gall bladder removal surgery.
2-3 days of hospital stay is required for better recovery.
No waiting time for billing and TPA, Book an appointment Now with our specialist surgeon and book your day of Treatment at the earliest.
Cost of the Gallstones or Gallbladder surgery is Comparatively less and the treatment is effective.