In 25 years of experience in the field of surgery, I have performed a very large number of gallbladder operations. Over those years I developed a modern approach to this procedure, one that I now use for almost every patient who comes to me with gallstones. It is called single incision keyhole cholecystectomy.
If you have been told you need your gallbladder removed, you have probably already been given a picture of what that involves. Several cuts on the abdomen, a night or two in hospital, and a slow, uncomfortable few days afterwards. I want to explain why it does not have to be that way.
What single incision keyhole surgery actually involves
In this procedure, the entire gallbladder operation is carried out through one small cut.
The incision is usually two to two and a half centimetres. In some cases it is as small as one and a half centimetres. That is the whole of it. One cut, and the operation is complete.
What that means for the patient is a small mark of about one and a half to two centimetres, and very little pain afterwards. Most patients begin eating and drinking soon after the operation, and they go home quickly.
A small cut, a quick recovery, and a quick return home is what we aim for with every gallbladder patient.
Why one cut instead of four
There are two other ways this operation is commonly performed, and the comparison is worth understanding before you decide.
The routine four port laparoscopic operation
In conventional laparoscopic gallbladder surgery, four separate incisions are made in the abdomen. The patient usually remains in pain for at least twenty four hours afterwards.
Here is the part most people are never told. Those four cuts, added together, come to roughly the same length as the single cut we make. So instead of making four, we make that one incision and perform the entire operation through it.
Open gallbladder surgery
In open surgery the incision is very large, and the patient goes through a great deal of discomfort as a result. Recovery takes considerably longer, and the scar stays with the patient.
Less pain, and far fewer complications
One of the most important advantages of this technique is what it avoids.
Complications such as hernia or poor wound healing are extremely rare with this approach, almost to the point of not occurring at all. The reason is straightforward. We do not cut through the muscle.
The scar also fades very quickly. After some time it looks as though no operation was ever performed on the abdomen.
In and out on the same day
The patient comes in, is operated on the same day, and goes home without pain. That is how this works in practice, not as an exception but as the routine.
Insha’Allah, we intend to take this further still, so that a patient can come in, have the operation, and drive themselves back to their own work afterwards. Saving people their time and sparing them unnecessary suffering has always been the point of doing it this way.
If you have been putting this off, please read this part
A great many patients endure the pain for months out of fear of surgery. By the time they finally come in, the problem has often turned into something far more difficult to treat.
Gallbladder disease is serious. If it is allowed to progress, it can become dangerous, and in some cases it can threaten a patient’s life.
It is far better to have the problem treated through one small cut, without pain, and to be back in your normal routine within a very short time.
Where this procedure is available
We provide this facility at Health Care Hospital, Holy Family Road, Satellite Town, Rawalpindi.
For deserving patients, we accommodate the procedure at very minimal charges. We also offer it at a special concession for ulema, madrassa students, and widows. Nobody who genuinely needs this operation should be kept from it by cost.
Booking an appointment
If you or someone in your family is dealing with gallstones or gallbladder pain, you are welcome to get in touch.
You can book an appointment online, or contact us directly on 0336 5935765.
