Gallstones do not go away on their own..Symptoms will persist unless the gallbladder is removed. Treatments to break up or dissolve gallstones are largely unsuccessful.

Surgical removal of the gallbladder is the time-honored and safest treatment of gallbladder disease.

This operation is done under general anaesthesia.

In 3-4% of patients the laparoscopic method cannot be performed for gallbladder removal. Factors that may increase the possibility of choosing or converting to the “open” procedure may include a very inflamed and scarred gallbladder, obesity, a history of prior abdominal surgery causing dense scar tissue, inability to visualize organs or bleeding problems during the operation.

The decision to perform the open procedure is a judgment decision made by your surgeon either before or during the actual operation. When the surgeon feels that it is safest to convert the laparoscopic procedure to an open one, this is not a complication, but rather good surgical judgment. The decision to convert to an open procedure is strictly based on patient safety.

Advantages:

1. Less morbidity/pain postoperative compared to open surgery
2. earlier recovery
3. cosmetically better as small inconspicuous scars

Complications

1. Bleeding
2. Wound infection
3. Hernias
4. Unintended injury to adjacent structures such as the common bile duct, colon, or small intestine may occur and may require another surgical procedure to repair it.