Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy
The gallbladder is a bile storage organ which is attached to the bottom surface of the liver. It stores bile which is an emulsifier for fat, and after a fatty meal, a hormone causes the gallbladder to contract, squeezing the bile into the common bile duct, the main bile duct, and from there into the first part of the small intestine, the duodenum. The problem with bile storage in some patients, particularly women who are over the age of 40, overweight and have had children, the stagnant bile can form gallstones. This can cause severe pain, and sometimes infection.
The modern way to remove a gallbladder is using the laparoscope. Small incisions are made into the abdomen, the gallbladder is grasped at its top surface, and the connection between the gallbladder and the common bile duct, the cystic duct, must be must be observed to be sure that the common bile duct is never injured. An injury to the common bile duct results in a serious lifelong disaster, with scarring and repetitive obstruction of bile flow, resulting in jaundice, liver failure, and sometimes infection.
