Gallbladder Disease Specialist

What is gallbladder disease?

Your gallbladder is a small organ found just beneath your liver. It’s responsible for storing the bile your liver produces to help you digest fats.

Several diseases affect your gallbladder’s health and function, including:

Cholecystitis

Cholecystitis describes acute or chronic inflammation and irritation in the walls of your gallbladder that allow bile to build up.

Gallstones

Gallstones develop when bile, cholesterol, or other substances build up and block the bile ducts that lead out of the gallbladder. These stones vary from quite small to as large as a golf ball.

Gallbladder polyps

Polyps are abnormal lesions that grow in the lining of your gallbladder. While they usually don’t cause symptoms, polyps can grow large enough to interfere with the function of your bladder and cause other complications.

Biliary dyskinesia

Biliary dyskinesia is lower than normal gallbladder function that happens because of chronic gallbladder inflammation.

Gallbladder cancer

Gallbladder cancer begins in the inner walls of your gallbladder and can spread to your liver, lymph nodes, and other organs. This cancer is rare, but those with gallstones are at a higher risk of developing the disease.

When should I seek treatment for gallbladder diseases?

You should seek treatment for gallbladder diseases if you have bothersome symptoms you can’t treat on your own, like:

• Fever
• Chills
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes)
• Abdominal pain
• Unexplained weight loss
• Persistent nausea and vomiting

The Mission Surgical Clinic team can determine if you’re a candidate for gallbladder surgery to treat your condition. They’ll usually resort to surgery only if nonsurgical treatments aren’t working.

How does surgery treat gallbladder diseases?

The Mission Surgical Clinic team offers both laparoscopic and open surgery to treat gallbladder disease.

Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery

Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery uses minimally invasive techniques to repair or remove your gallbladder. Laparoscopic surgery causes far less trauma to your body so that you can heal faster than you would with open surgery.

The surgeons make small incisions in your abdominal wall and insert a camera. The camera sends real-time images of the treatment area to an external monitor the surgeons watch to repair or remove the gallbladder with a high level of precision.

Open gallbladder surgery

Open gallbladder surgery requires longer incisions to access the gallbladder. You’ll undergo open surgery if you have complications from gallbladder disease or other health conditions.

You can expect a long recovery after open surgery. You’ll also have an increased risk of bleeding and infections.

Call the Mission Surgical Clinic office nearest you today to schedule an appointment or book a consultation online to determine if you’re a candidate for surgery to treat gallbladder disease.