Biliary surgery

Bile tract surgery, also known as biliary surgery, is used to treat diseases of the bile. This includes, for example, the removal of gallstones or the gallbladder.

The most common disease in the bile is the inflammation of the gall bladder (cholecystitis), which is caused by a blockage of the bile duct. If the bile is no longer able to drain properly, this leads to inflammation, which must be treated.

This condition is usually caused by a large gallstone blocking the bile ducts. As the gallbladder is not vital, it can be removed during surgery.

Treatments
Gallstones
Clinics with this specialism
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Treatments

As the gallbladder plays a role in the human digestive system and is therefore important to our health, interdisciplinary treatments are often required within the primary field of biliary surgery. Diagnosis always involves surrounding and connected organs in order to rule out other potential diseases.

Gallstones can be surgically removed using a minimally invasive procedure, as can the gallbladder itself. This measure is taken as a precautionary measure or as an emergency measure. The procedure is performed as an inpatient under general anaesthesia.

Gallstones

Around 15 to 30 percent of people over 40 years of age will experience gallstones in the gallbladder. Women are affected more frequently.

Most of those affected do not experience any typical complaints throughout their lives. Symptoms caused by gallstones only arise in around a quarter of those affected.

Diagnosis

Gallstones are detected and located by means of an ultrasound, CT or MRI scan.

The most common influencing factors are genetic prerequisites and diet, but also other accompanying diagnoses.

Symptoms and surgical treatment

Most procedures are (unfortunately) performed as an emergency measure. Those affected suffer from acute symptoms (attacks of pain, inflammation of the gallbladder or stones in the bile ducts) and have usually consulted their GP beforehand.

However, more and more patients are being treated who suffer from the following symptoms, the cause of which has been diagnosed as gallstones:

  • feeling overly full after or even during a meal
  • an uncomfortable feeling of pressure or stabbing pain in the (right) upper abdomen (after eating or even persistently)
  • intolerance to fat and caffeine
  • frequent nausea and vomiting
  • increased flatulence and belching after eating
  • attack-like onset of sweating and shortness of breath after eating
  • weight loss and loss of appetite
  • avoiding sleeping on the right side of the body

Emergency operations usually come with an increased risk and often cause inconvenience for patients, which can be avoided with a planned procedure.

It is therefore advisable to have any possible symptoms checked by a specialist at an early stage, so that an emergency procedure can be ruled out in the future.

The procedure for treating gallstones, known as laparoscopic cholecystectomy, is very low-risk and most patients do not find it very painful. One thing is clear: biliary colic is much more painful than the procedure to remove gallstones.

The operation only results in tiny scars that become barely visible over time. Most people with a spinal cord injury spend around three nights in the clinic for monitoring.

Doctors with this specialisation

Privatklinik Bethanien

Prof. Dr. med. Pierre-Alain Clavien

Specialisation
Hepatobiliary surgery (liver surgery), Pancreatic surgery, Biliary surgery, Surgical oncology, Visceral surgery View more
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Privatklinik Bethanien

Dr. med. Barna Boldog

Specialisation
Visceral surgery, General surgery, Colon surgery, Hernias, Gastric surgery, Small intestinal surgery, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Biliary surgery View more
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