People can live healthy lives without a gallbladder because although it helps to regulate digestion, it is not an essential organ. Doctors often recommend that people suffering from frequent attacks of gallstones have their gallbladders removed in a surgical procedure called a cholecystectomy. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, cholecystectomy is one of the most common surgeries for adults in the United States. Long-term effects are few and rare.
Injury to Bile Ducts
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says that the most common complication of gallbladder surgery is accidental injury to the bile ducts. After the surgery, bile can leak from an injured duct. Bile degrades fats, making it a dangerous substance to have leaking uncontrollably out of the digestive tract. Leaking bile can set up painful inflammation and increase the risk of infection. In severe cases, the patient might need another surgery to repair the bile ducts and stop the leakage of bile. Surgeons can remove the gallbladder using a traditional "open" procedure or a laparoscopic approach. With the open procedure, the surgeon accesses the gallbladder through a large incision in the abdomen. Although this procedure is more invasive, requires a longer hospital stay and results in a longer recovery, some doctors favor it because it gives a clear view of the operation site, reducing the risk of injury to the bile ducts. Laparoscopic surgery proceeds through a few small slits in the abdomen to accommodate the special surgical instruments and a camera that transmits a view of the operating field. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the risk of injury to the bile ducts with laparoscopic surgery is declining as more surgeons gain expertise with the method.
Missed Stones
Typically, the surgeon uses a technique called endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, or ERCP, to identify gallstones in the bile ducts, either before or during the surgery to remove the gall bladder. However, sometimes the surgeon will miss a stone and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says that a patient could suffer the effects of a stone in the bile ducts up to years after the gallbladder removal. Usually, ERCP can successfully remove those stones. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, in about 6 percent of all cholecystectomy procedures, the surgeon misses some stones or some stones escape into the abdomen. In a small number of cases, gallstones in the abdomen cause infections or blockages that require an open surgery to repair.
Diarrhea
The gallbladder stores the bile produced by the liver and rations its delivery to the small intestines to optimize the process of digestion. After removal of the gallbladder, bile flows from the liver into the common bile duct and then directly into the small intestines. The near-constant delivery of bile to the small intestines after removal of the gallbladder can cause some people to have more frequent bowel movements with softer stools. In some people, the net result is diarrhea. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, however, only about 1 percent of patients suffer from diarrhea after cholecystectomy, and usually the diarrhea clears up on its own in time.
