The gallbladder is a small pouch that stores and concentrates the bile that the liver produces. It sits on the upper right side of the abdomen, under the liver. When fatty foods are eaten, the gallbladder squeezes bile into the upper small intestine to help digest the food.
The gallbladder is not necessary for digestion, so it can be removed if it is not functioning properly. Cholecystectomy, or gallbladder removal, may be indicated when gallstones---hard deposits of bile---form and cause complications. Other reasons for gallbladder removal include cancer and non-gallstone-related disease.
Cholecystectomy can be performed by open incision through the abdomen or by laparoscope, using special surgical tools and a tiny video camera. It is a common procedure and little risk is usually involved, although procedures done in an emergency result in more complications than those planned in advance, according to the National Institutes of Health. Patients in poor general health are also at higher risk for complications.
Surgical and Anesthesia Risks
Any patient undergoing a surgical procedure, according to the National Institutes of Health, is at risk for bleeding, developing blood clots in the legs that can travel to the lungs, infection or breathing problems. There is always a risk of death, but the mortality rate for a planned cholecystectomy is very low--0.7 to two percent --even in elderly patients. The risk of death is higher---19 percent in elderly patients---when the surgery is done on an emergency basis.
Bile Duct Injury
The most common complication in gallbladder surgery is injury to the bile ducts, which can cause leakage of bile, tears, and eventually damage to the liver. Accidental injury to the bile duct, liver or small intestine is higher when the laparoscopic technique is used, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC).
Missed Gallstones
If the surgeon fails to remove one or more gallstones, or accidentally allows them to remain in the abdominal cavity, which occurs in about six percent of cases, the stones may cause complications that require a second---open---procedure. These complications, according to UMMC, include obstruction, abscesses, or fistulas, which are small, abnormal channels.
Pancreatitis
Pancreatitis--inflammation of the pancreas--occurs in three to nine percent of cholecystectomies. Pancreatitis can be very serious and cause complications such as acute kidney failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome, cysts or abscesses in the pancreas, and heart failure, according to UMMC. Younger adults are at higher risk than the elderly.
Long-Term Effects
Removal of the gallbladder has not been known to cause any long-term adverse effects, aside from occasional diarrhea.
