Cholecystectomy
Posted on 12/27/2011
A cholecystectomy is an operation to remove the gallbladder.
The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped pouch in the upper-right part of your abdomen. It stores bile, the digestive fluid produced by the liver that helps to break down fatty foods.
Bile is made from cholesterol, bile salts and waste products. When these substances are out of balance, small, hard stones called gallstones can form. Gallstones often cause no symptoms and in many cases remain undetected. But they can cause pain, fever, jaundice, vomiting and nausea.
If your gallstones cause severe symptoms, you may be advised to have a cholecystectomy.
See the sections below for more information.
· How a cholecystectomy is performed
· Complications of a cholecystectomy
· Recovering from a cholecystectomy
