A Beginner's Guide to Gallbladder Health and Surgery Options

If a condition like gallstone disease, chronic cholecystitis, or gallbladder cancer adversely affects your quality of life, is likely to worsen, or poses a severe health risk, a surgeon may remove your gallbladder. In some cases, this solution may involve a robotic-assisted procedure.

Symptoms that might result in gallbladder removal include:

• Inflammation or swelling of the gallbladder
• Gallstones found in your bile duct
• Infection in your gallbladder
• Feeling on fullness
• Intense, sudden pain in your belly 

Robotic-Assisted Cholecystectomy: Improved Outcomes in Gallbladder Removal

If your gallbladder must be removed, you may be a candidate for robotic-assisted cholecystectomy. This minimally invasive procedure uses technology controlled by a surgeon specially trained in operating it.

The da Vinci Xi Surgical System robotic system translates wrist, hand, and finger actions into movements of surgical instruments. These precise gestures can reduce the side effects of gallbladder-removal surgery, which may include:

• Bleeding
• Infection
• Damage to the bile duct (a tube that transports bile to the small intestine from the gallbladder)
• Hernia (bulging of tissue at the incision site)
• Liver injury
• Scars or numbness at the incision site 

Consequently, patients can experience improved outcomes and shorter recovery time with robotic-assisted cholecystectomy.

Talk with Your Baptist Health Doctor About Robotic-Assisted Cholecystectomy

If you need your gallbladder removed and are a good candidate for robotic-assisted cholecystectomy, your doctor will explain the procedure and its benefits. For example, smaller incisions, reduced recovery time, and lowered risk of infection.

If you don’t have a Baptist Health physician, you can find one near you in our online provider directory.