Does cholecystectomy affect health?

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was written by: Specialist Doctor II Phan Phi Tuan - Head of General Surgery - General Surgery Department - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital
The gallbladder is a storage site for bile secreted by the liver. Abnormal deposits of major components in bile will form bile sludge, gallstones. Gallstones commonly cause abdominal pain, cholecystitis, and pancreatitis.

1. What are the symptoms of gallstones?

About 30% of cases with gallstones are symptomatic, the most common symptom of gallstones is biliary colic (86%), with the following features:
Usually patients are in the right lower quadrant or Epigastrium should be confused with gastritis, pain is intermittent, when there are complications, it can be continuous pain, pain often after meals or at night. However, gallstones are diagnosed mainly by ultrasound.

2. Indication for gallbladder stone surgery

Indications for cholecystectomy when:
Symptomatic gallstones Complicated gallbladder disease: Gallstone pancreatitis, Mirizzi's syndrome, cholecystoduodenal fistula, cholecystitis, gallbladder cancer. Asymptomatic gallstones have a very limited surgical indication because only (2-3)% of these cases become symptomatic each year. Immunocompromised patient, awaiting organ transplant, sickle cell disease. Stone diameter greater than 3 cm, especially in a geographic area with high incidence of gallbladder cancer The size of the common biliary canal - pancreas is abnormal.

Diabetics: Not an absolute indication, however, cholecystectomy should be considered because cholecystitis will be very dangerous. Women of childbearing age should undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy because of the risk of surgical complications when gallstones have inflammatory complications during pregnancy. In this case, the second trimester of pregnancy is considered the safest time for surgery because it avoids the risk of fetal malformations or premature birth.

3. Natural progression of gallstones

Every year, only 1-2% of patients with asymptomatic gallstones progress to symptoms. There is some (<0.5% per year) progression from asymptomatic gallstones to the complicated phase without progressing to the symptomatic phase.
Complications of gallstones include:
Acute cholecystitis Cholangitis Acute pancreatitis Gallbladder cancer

4. Does cholecystectomy have any health effects?

After surgery, there are also about 10-15% of patients experiencing post-cholecystectomy syndrome, with symptoms similar to gallstones such as abdominal pain, indigestion, diarrhea, jaundice, yellow eyes, high fever .... These symptoms may be transient and disappear after a few weeks, but in many cases persist for months or years.
If you have any of the following symptoms a few weeks after surgery, tell your doctor right away:
Fever or chills Swelling or redness around the surgical cut Nausea or vomiting Severe cramping or pain in the abdomen Severe abdominal distension Yellow skin, yellow eyes

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