Gallbladder Surgery at CritiCare Asia Hospitals
Gallbladder surgery in Juhu, Mumbai at CritiCare Asia Hospitals is recommended when gallstones or a diseased gallbladder start causing repeated or serious trouble. The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped pouch under the liver that stores bile and releases it to digest fat. When bile carries too much cholesterol, or the gallbladder empties poorly, gallstones can form. Some are a few millimetres wide, others two or three centimetres, and there may be one or dozens.
A dull ache under the right ribs after a heavy meal is often blamed on acidity, until an ultrasound says otherwise. Many stones stay silent and turn up only on scans done for other reasons. Trouble starts when a stone blocks the cystic duct or slips into the bile duct, and the gallbladder becomes inflamed.
Symptoms Patients Commonly Notice
The signs vary, but these come up most often:
- Upper right abdominal pain
dull or sharp, sometimes reaching the back or right shoulder, often after oily food - Nausea and vomiting
especially during a bout of pain - Bloating and indigestion
a lingering fullness after meals - Fever with chills
a sign that infection may have set in - Yellow eyes or skin
with dark urine or pale stools, this points to a stone in the bile duct
Who Is More Likely to Develop Gallstones?
Gallbladder specialists suggest that these groups carry a higher risk:
- Women, particularly during pregnancy or on hormonal treatment
- Age above 40
- Excess weight or rapid weight loss
- Diabetes
- Family history of gallstones
- Diet heavy in fried and fatty food
When Is Surgery Advised?
Stones that cause no symptoms are often just monitored. Surgery comes up when the picture changes:
- Pain attacks that keep returning or are severe
- Inflammation or infection of the gallbladder
- Stones that have moved into the bile duct
- Pancreatitis, or a risk of it
- Other gallbladder problems, such as large polyps
Left alone, symptomatic stones tend to bring repeated attacks and, sometimes, serious complications. Removing the gallbladder is the definitive fix. The liver keeps producing bile, so digestion carries on. Consult our doctors to learn more about gallbladder removal surgery in Juhu, Mumbai.
Types of Gallbladder Surgery
Most operations today are minimally invasive, but several approaches exist. The right one depends on how inflamed the gallbladder is and what else is going on.
- Laparoscopic cholecystectomy
The standard route. A few small cuts, a camera and fine instruments; the gallbladder comes out through one opening. Pain is usually lower in laparoscopic gallbladder surgery, and recovery is quicker than after open surgery. - Single-incision laparoscopic surgery
Every instrument passes through one small cut, usually at the navel. Suited only to selected patients. - Robotic-assisted cholecystectomy
The surgeon works robotic arms from a console with a magnified 3D view. - Open cholecystectomy
One larger cut beneath the right rib margin. Now less common, it is kept for severe inflammation, dense scarring, bleeding, or unclear anatomy. - Conversion from keyhole to open
A laparoscopic operation is sometimes switched midway. That is a safety decision, and patients are told of the possibility beforehand. - Subtotal cholecystectomy
When inflamed tissue makes full removal risky, most of the gallbladder is taken out, and a small cuff is left to protect the bile duct. - Bile duct exploration
Stones in the common bile duct are cleared during the same operation. - ERCP
An endoscope passed through the mouth removes bile duct stones. The gallbladder stays, so it usually accompanies surgery rather than replacing it. - Percutaneous cholecystostomy
A drain placed through the skin relieves an infected gallbladder in patients too unwell for surgery. The operation follows once they are fit.
Before, During and After Surgery
Before
An ultrasound and blood tests come first; an MRCP or CT scan may follow if bile duct stones are suspected. The anaesthesia team reviews your history, and you are told when to stop eating and which regular medicines, blood thinners especially, to pause.
During
Surgery is done under general anaesthesia. The surgeon frees the gallbladder from the liver, secures the cystic duct and artery, and removes it. A dye X-ray of the bile ducts is sometimes taken mid-operation to look for stones.
After
Early walking and a gradual move from liquids to light meals are usual. Shoulder-tip pain from the gas used in keyhole surgery is common and passes. Fatty food goes back in slowly, and some people have looser stools at first. Return to the hospital for fever, worsening abdominal pain, repeated vomiting, yellow eyes or a discharging wound.
Gallbladder Surgery at CritiCare Asia Hospitals
The first step of gallstone treatment is establishing what is actually happening in the gallbladder. Scans and blood tests come before any recommendation, and the surgeon explains why a particular route, keyhole, open or staged, suits your condition. Risks and recovery are discussed before consent, not after.
Patients are looked after by the surgical and anaesthesia teams through the operation, monitored in recovery, and sent home with clear written guidance on diet, wound care and warning signs. Where bile duct stones or infection complicate the picture, the plan is staged accordingly and explained step by step. Follow-up is arranged so that reports and healing are reviewed. Living with recurring pain after meals, or been told you have gallstones? Speak to the best surgeons in Juhu, Mumbai at CritiCare Asia Hospitals to plan the next step.