Your gallbladder supports digestion by producing bile, an acid that helps break down food. Although the gallbladder isn’t useless, you can survive without it. Minimally invasive gallbladder surgery safely removes your gallbladder to alleviate gallstones and their symptoms.
At New York Hernia Center, surgeon Daniel Rosen, MD, uses advanced laparoscopic techniques to perform gallbladder surgery with minimal risk and recovery time. New York Hernia Center has offices on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City, in Secaucus, New Jersey, and in Darien, Connecticut.
Here is everything you need to know about gallbladder surgery and how minimally invasive techniques can lead to a faster recovery.
Gallbladder surgery removes the entire gallbladder when the organ is causing problems. You might need gallbladder surgery if you repeatedly get gallstones, which form when bile builds up into solid masses. Gallstones can cause symptoms like pain and nausea.
Gallstones and other common gallbladder issues can cause a range of uncomfortable or bothersome symptoms, including:
Gallstones and gallbladder inflammation can clog the gallbladder, blocking the flow of bile. If dietary changes haven’t improved your symptoms, or if they keep returning, it may be time to consider minimally invasive gallbladder surgery.
Minimally invasive gallbladder surgery removes the gallbladder through three to five small incisions that take less time to heal than a large incision.
Dr. Rosen uses a laparoscope, a surgical camera, to see inside your abdomen. The camera’s feed appears on a nearby screen that he watches.
Using the laparoscope for guidance, he manipulates small tools through the other incisions to remove your gallbladder from under your liver.
Surgeons often opt for minimally invasive surgical techniques when they’re available because of key benefits like less recovery time. Smaller incisions take less time to heal and cause less trauma to your skin and tissues.
Compared to open surgery, minimally invasive gallbladder surgery can offer:
You can usually go home later the same day as your minimally invasive gallbladder surgery after a brief observation period in the office. Dr. Rosen gives you specific instructions for caring for the incision sites and may ask you to return to the office for a follow-up visit after healing.
New York Hernia Center provides safe laparoscopic gallbladder surgery to treat gallstones and gallbladder inflammation. Call your nearest New York Hernia Center office or request an appointment online to learn more.
