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Gallbladder: A Little Organ that Can Cause a Lot of Pain

Severe pain in the upper right part of your abdomen, that moves around to your back and shoulder are common symptoms of an inflamed gallbladder, a condition called cholecystitis. 

The bad news: a three-inch, non-essential organ does have the ability to inflict severe pain. The good news: it's non-essential and can be removed without lasting repercussions. The better news? At St. Francis you could have your gallbladder removed and not even have a visible scar.  

Gallbladder, Gallstones and Cholecystitis 

The gallbladder is found just under the liver, and its purpose is to store bile made by the liver. Bile moves from the gallbladder to the small intestine through tubes called the cystic duct and common bile duct.  

Usually this part of digestion happens without incident. But some people, for unknown reasons, develop gallstones in their gallbladders. Many people have gallstones without any symptoms, or any idea that they are there. Problems occur, however, when a gallstone somehow shifts and blocks the cystic duct. This can cause the gallbladder to swell and become inflamed - a condition called cholecystitis.  

Symptoms  

The classic symptom of cholecystitis is pain in the upper right part of the belly. This pain can sometimes move around to your back or right shoulder blade, and can be severe. In some people the pain gets worse when trying to take a deep breath, or gets worse after meals. Other symptoms can include nausea, vomiting, and fever.    

Your doctor can use ultrasound to see if you have gallstones. An imaging test called a gallbladder scan can help find blockages in the tubes that lead from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine.  

Treatment  

Because the gallbladder is not an essential organ, the main treatment is to simply remove the gallbladder. After the gallbladder is removed, bile from the liver flows through the common bile duct and into the small intestine. This means that the body cannot store bile between meals, but in most cases this has little or no effect on digestion. 

Surgical Options  

Unless there are other complications, removal of the gallbladder is a minimally-invasive surgery that is performed on an outpatient basis. There are several excellent options at St. Francis that provide little or no scarring:   

• Single-site laparoscopic gallbladder surgery involves one small, crescent-shaped incision made just under the navel. Through this one incision, small surgical tools are used to remove the gallbladder. This surgery is done on an outpatient basis and requires just a few days of recovery.     

Surgeon performing this procedure:  

Dr. Daniel Jacques, Associates in General Surgery

•  Single-site robotic gallbladder surgery is performed through one incision in the navel. The da Vinci robotic surgical system tools are inserted through the incision, and the gallbladder is removed from the same incision. Because the incision is made in the navel, after recovery there is no visible scar. This type of procedure is also outpatient, with only days of recovery time.    

Surgeons performing this procedure:

Dr. Thomas Mann, Jr., Carolina Surgical Associates 

Dr. Joseph Millican, Carolina Surgical Associates

• Laparoscopic surgery to remove the gallbladder usually involves three small incisions on the upper abdomen. It also is outpatient and requires minimal recovery time.  

Surgeons performing this procedure:   

Dr. David Anderson, Carolina Surgical Associates

Dr. Tommy Bridges, Associates in General Surgery

Dr. Jeffrey Chaudhari, Carolina Surgical Associates

Dr. Daniel Jacques, Associates in General Surgery

Dr. Thomas Mann, Jr., Carolina Surgical Associates

Dr. Joseph Millican, Carolina Surgical Associates

Dr. John Minasi, Carolina Surgical Associates

Dr. Brian Sadowski, Carolina Surgical Associates

Dr. Michael Towler, Carolina Surgical Associates

Dr. Bing Yi, Carolina Surgical Associates

Dr. James Young, Carolina Surgical Associates

All medical information from HealthWise, available at stfrancishealth.org.