All our treatments are tailored to each patient's needs.
At Keller Surgical Associates we offer different Gallbladder removal procedures.
Gallbladder Disease
The gallbladder is an organ located under the liver in the right upper part of the abdomen. The main purpose of the gallbladder is to concentrate bile which is a liquid made in the liver to help break down fats in the intestines (digestion). Sometimes stones form in the gallbladder or the gallbladder is over or underactive which can cause pain after eating.
Surgery for the removal of the gallbladder may be recommended. This is to reduce the risk of emergency surgery for what is called acute cholecystitis, which is the inflammation of the gallbladder because one of the stones blocks the opening of the gallbladder.
Laparoscopic Gallbladder Surgery
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (removal of the gallbladder using small incisions and a tiny telescope) is the standard surgery now and uses 3 or 4 incisions that are about 1/4 inch in length except for one incision that is about 1 inch long. Some incisions may have to be increased in size depending on the size of the gallbladder being removed.
The benefits of laparoscopic gallbladder surgery are small incisions, reduced amount of pain, ability to go back to work quicker, and you are usually discharged the same day. Very rarely this has to be converted to open surgery which is a big incision under the rib cage in which people are admitted to the hospital afterwards for pain control.
Robotic Gallbladder
Robotic gallbladder surgery is similar to laparoscopic gallbladder surgery in that we perform the surgery through 4 small incisions each about a ¼ of an inch. The DaVinci robot allows us to perform the surgery safely and quickly because of the wristed instruments. We can also hide your incisions within your bikini line, which is not possible with standard laparoscopic surgery. There is no AI involved with the robot and is controlled at all times by a surgeon.