Gall bladder disease can usually be overcome through the means of a good diet and appropriate medical treatments. When confronted with serious forms of the disease, however, doctors recommend the removal of the diseased gall bladder through surgical intervention. Gall bladder disease can be either chronic (chronic cholecystitis or billary colic) or acute (acute cholecystitis). Chronic cholecystitis is less serious and generates milder symptoms, while acute cholecystitis may in some cases require surgery.
Advanced forms of gall bladder disease often require gall bladder removal. Acute cholecystitis usually involves bacterial infection and the disease progresses rapidly. Gall bladder disease complications, such as Jaundice (occurs when bile is released into the bloodstream instead of the stomach and small intestine), also require gall bladder removal through surgery. Other complications that require gall bladder removal are: pancreatitis (inflammation and infection of the pancreas), infections of the liver and gall bladder cancer.
Gall bladder disease is usually caused by gallstones, solid structures formed from cholesterol, calcium and bile salts. Gallstones can cause cholecystitis (inflammation and swelling of the gall bladder), choledocholithiasis (occurs when gallstones accumulate inside the bile duct) cholangitis (infection of the gall bladder and bile duct) and pancreatitis. Due to the fact that large gallstones can’t be eliminated through medical treatment and diet, they are often removed through surgical intervention, along with the diseased gall bladder.
The medical procedures that are used in gall bladder removal are traditional surgery (open cholecystectomy) and laparoscopic surgery (laparoscopic cholecystectomy). Gall bladder removal is uncomplicated and involves very few risks. Open surgery is performed through a wide abdominal incision. It can leave permanent scars and patients need to remain in the hospital for around 10 days after the operation. Gall bladder removal through the means of laparoscopic surgery can successfully replace traditional gall bladder surgery. Laparoscopic gall bladder surgery is preferred by most patients, as it requires smaller incisions and a shorter period of recovery after the operation. After gall bladder removal through laparoscopic surgery usually don’t require more than one day of hospitalization.
Right after gall bladder removal, patients are advised to rest for a few days. They also have to avoid any form of physical effort. An appropriate treatment and a strict diet need to be respected a while after gall bladder removal. By restricting the amount of ingested fat and by supplying the organism with bile salts (bile salts tablets are natural supplements and can be found in any drugstore), the body will be able to sustain its normal activity even in the absence of the gall bladder. It is very important to keep a permanent diet in order to help the process of digestion. The absorption of certain foods can be affected after gall bladder removal and you should add vitamin and mineral supplements to your diet in order to compensate for these digestion problems.