Gallbladder Removal

The gallbladder is removed, usually by keyhole surgery, for gallstones causing pain, inflammation or blocked bile ducts. You do not need a gallbladder — bile simply flows from the liver to the intestine continuously instead of being stored.

What the operation involves

Thirty to ninety minutes under general anaesthetic through four small incisions. A small proportion of operations are converted to open surgery, usually because of severe inflammation or unclear anatomy; that is a safety decision, not a complication.

Recovery and what to expect

Often a day case or one night. Shoulder-tip pain from the gas used to inflate the abdomen is common for a day or two and surprises people who were not warned about it. Most return to desk work within one to two weeks.

Afterwards

Some patients have looser stools or difficulty with very fatty meals for a few months. This usually settles as the bile ducts adapt.

What we arrange around it

About a week including the wound check.