Procedure:
Removal of the gall bladder through a cut at
least 10 cms (4 inches) long across the right
side of the abdomen, just below the rib cage.
The surgeon will also examine the tube, which
carries bile from the liver to the bowel, and
remove any stones. A drainage tube (a TTube)
will be inserted into the tube and brought
out through the abdomen to drain bile into a
drainage bag on the outside of the body. The
tube will be removed in 1 to 3 weeks.
Specific risks of this procedure:
There are some risks/ complications, which
include:
(a) Damage to nearby blood vessels causing
bleeding which could require an
emergency blood transfusion and further
surgery.
(b) Gallstones may spill from the gall bladder
and be lost in the abdominal cavity. These
may form abscesses, which may need
drainage.
(c) Some stones may be left behind in the bile
duct and may need further treatment.
(d) The T-tube may come out of position.
Further surgery may be required to reinsert
the T-Tube.
(e) Metal clips may be put on blood vessels or
tubes and some of the clips or ties may
come off and cause a bile leak or bleeding
which may become infected. This may
need drainage. The metal clips will always
stay in the abdomen.
(f) Damage to the bile tubes near the liver and
gall bladder (1 in 230 people) which can
cause short and long-term problems with
leakage and/ or blockage.
(g) Difficulty passing urine after the operation.
This may need a tube (catheter) passed
into the bladder to remove the urine. This is
usually temporary.
(h) Occasionally after the T-tube is removed, 2
or 3 weeks after the operation, bile may
leak out of the bile duct to the skin or into
the abdominal cavity.
(i) Infection in the wound causing redness,
pain and possible discharge or abscess. (1
in 20 people). This may need antibiotics.
(j) Possible bleeding into the wound with
swelling and bruising and possible blood
stained discharge.
(k) The wound may not heal normally. The
wound can thicken and turn red. The scar
may be painful.
(l) A weakness can happen in the wound with
the development of a hernia (rupture).
Further surgery may be needed to correct
this.
(m) Adhesions (bands of scar tissue) may form
and cause bowel obstruction. This can be a
short term or a long-term complication and
may need further surgery.
(n) Symptoms experienced before surgery
may persist after the surgery (1 in 7
people).
(o) Increased risk in obese people of wound
infection, chest infection, heart and lung
complications, and thrombosis.
(p) Increased risk in smokers of wound and
chest infections, heart and lung
complications and thrombosis.