Gallbladder Surgery

Gallstones are a common problem that can cause intense pain, and complications arising from gallstones or other conditions like gallbladder cancer, often require surgery. General surgeon Dr. Jeremy Juern in Roseville, California, specializes in performing expert gallbladder surgery using minimally invasive techniques. His practice is physician-referral only, so ask your doctor for a referral. You can also contact his office if you have any questions or concerns before or after your gallbladder surgery.

Why might I need gallbladder surgery?

The gallbladder is a pouch close to your liver that stores bile, a fluid your body produces to help digest fat. Bile ducts transport bile from your gallbladder to the small intestine. Conditions that could require gallbladder surgery include:

Gallstones

Gallstones (cholelithiasis) form from tiny particles in your blood that might develop into golf ball-sized stones. These stones can cause excruciating pain if they block your bile ducts.

Cholecystitis

Cholecystitis (acute gallbladder inflammation) is often due to gallstones but is sometimes caused by gallbladder cancer. Repeated acute cholecystitis attacks shrink your gallbladder, causing chronic cholecystitis that limits the gallbladder’s ability to store or release bile.

Choledocholithiasis

Gallstones that get stuck in the gallbladder neck or bile ducts can cause choledocholithiasis. Bile builds up behind the blockage, causing inflammation and gallbladder enlargement. Choledocholithiasis can cause extreme pain, fever, jaundice (yellowing of the skin and eyes), and vomiting.

Gallbladder cancer

Cancer develops when cells mutate to form masses that affect gallbladder function. Untreated gallbladder cancer can spread to other organs and could prove life-threatening.

You may require planned gallbladder surgery if nonsurgical treatments are unsuitable or ineffective. Emergency surgery might be necessary for an acute problem like choledocholithiasis.

What are the types of gallbladder surgery?

In most cases, the best option is to remove the entire gallbladder (cholecystectomy). You can live a normal life without your gallbladder, so extraction resolves your symptoms without causing you any harm.

In some cases, Dr. Jeremy Juern might be able to preserve most of your gallbladder. For instance, he may resect a small, contained tumor, taking out the cancerous tissue and repairing the gallbladder. 

What happens during gallbladder surgery?

Dr. Jeremy Juern uses the most current, evidence-based approaches to gallbladder surgery. He’s usually able to perform minimally invasive gallbladder surgery using laparoscopic techniques, which only require buttonhole-sized incisions in your abdomen.

He inserts a miniature video camera on a flexible tube (laparoscope) into one incision. It provides a clear, real-time video feed on a high-definition monitor that he uses to view the gallbladder during surgery.

He then inserts laparoscopic instruments through the other incisions and makes precise cuts to release your gallbladder from the surrounding tissue. Lastly, he removes the gallbladder and repairs the incisions.

For gallbladder surgery, request a referral to Dr. Jeremy Juern. Contact his office today if you have any questions or concerns before or after your procedure.