Open Gallbladder Surgery for Gallstones

In Reference open gallbladder surgery Opens New Window Reference Opens New Window (cholecystectomy), the surgeon removes the Reference gallbladder Opens New Window through a single, large cut (incision) in the abdomen. You will need general anesthesia, and the surgery lasts 1 to 2 hours. The surgeon will make the incision either under the border of the right rib cage or in the middle of the upper part of the abdomen (between the belly button and the end of the breastbone).

Doctors do most open gallbladder surgeries after trying first to remove the gallbladder with laparoscopic surgery. A few people have conditions that require open gallbladder surgery. For more information, see the Why It Is Done section below.

After surgery to remove the gallbladder, bile flows from the liver (where it is produced) through the Reference common bile duct Opens New Window and into the small intestine. Because the gallbladder is gone, bile no longer is stored between meals. In most people, this has little or no effect on digestion.

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