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Dr. David J. Lourié MD, of Los Angeles, offers the latest robotic gallbladder surgery as treatment for gallbladder pain and attacks from gallstone disease. Dr. Lourié uses the precision, control, and enhanced visualization of robotic assisted laparoscopic cholecystectomy or gall bladder surgery for the treatment and relief of the pain and potential complications associated with gall bladder symptoms, whether or not these are related to diet.
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What is a Gallbladder or Gallstones?
The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ below your liver in the upper right side of your abdomen. The gallbladder collects and stores bile, a digestive fluid produced in your liver. |
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Unfortunately many people form sludge or stones in the gallbladder. These stones can block the gallbladder and cause pain, infection, and other more severe complications like jaundice or pancreatitis. Pain from gallbladder blockage is experienced in different ways. Often it may be severe pain in the right upper side of your abdomen under the ribcage or high in the middle of the abdomen or belly under the breastbone. This pain can also go to the upper back, under the shoulder blade. Some people get chest pain from gallbladder stones. Gallbladder and gallstone problems are usually diagnosed by having an ultrasound test, blood tests, and a physical examination by a doctor.
How are Gallstones treated?
People have tried to treat gallstones with in many different ways over the years. Some of these treatment concepts were good ideas but they turned out not to work. This included medicines to dissolve gallstones and shock wave treatment to break up the gallstones stones. Both of these treatments turned out not to work well, can actually make things worse and more dangerous, and should be avoided. Other treatments like “gallbladder flushes” unfortunately do not work at all for gallstones. They flush your intestines and colon and produce much debris but do not get rid of gallstones.
The only effective treatment for gallstones is surgery. This surgery involves removing the gallbladder with the gallstones and is called cholecystectomy. Cholecystectomy is a common surgery. Fortunately people live normally after their gallbladder is removed.
Dr. Lourié may recommend cholecystectomy if you have:
Previously the only surgery available was open surgery, which usually involved a big muscle-damaging cut under the ribcage with often a difficult recovery. Although no longer recommended by Dr. Lourié, some surgeons still occasionally use this method, especially when emergency surgery is needed.
Minimally Invasive Gallbladder Surgery
Both laparoscopic and robotic enhanced surgeries are much less invasive than open gallbladder surgery and result in less pain and faster recovery. In most case these surgeries are outpatient surgeries and you go home the same day. It takes about a week to fully recover.
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Option
During laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the surgeon usually makes four small incisions in your abdomen. A scope attached to a tiny video camera is inserted into your abdomen through one of the incisions. Your surgeon watches a video monitor in the operating room as special surgical instruments are inserted and your gallbladder and stones are removed. Laparoscopic instruments, though widely available, have more limitations and are more primitive than robotic instruments.
Robotic Option
With robotic enhanced laparoscopic surgery, Dr. Lourié is able to take advantage of the superior, enhanced 3-D visualization, precision, and control of the robotic system compared to that used in standard laparoscopic minimally invasive gallbladder surgery. In addition to less pain and faster recovery, this minimally invasive technology allows many patients to have safer surgery with often minimal scarring.
How are Gallstones treated?
People have tried to treat gallstones with in many different ways over the years. Some of these treatment concepts were good ideas but they turned out not to work. This included medicines to dissolve gallstones and shock wave treatment to break up the gallstones stones. Both of these treatments turned out not to work well, can actually make things worse and more dangerous, and should be avoided. Other treatments like “gallbladder flushes” unfortunately do not work at all for gallstones. They flush your intestines and colon and produce much debris but do not get rid of gallstones.
The only effective treatment for gallstones is surgery. This surgery involves removing the gallbladder with the gallstones and is called cholecystectomy. Cholecystectomy is a common surgery. Fortunately people live normally after their gallbladder is removed.
Dr. Lourié may recommend cholecystectomy if you have:
- Gallstones in the gallbladder (cholelithiasis)
- Gallstones in the bile duct (choledocholithiasis)
- Gallbladder inflammation (cholecystitis)
- Gallbladder masses
- Pancreas inflammation (pancreatitis)
Previously the only surgery available was open surgery, which usually involved a big muscle-damaging cut under the ribcage with often a difficult recovery. Although no longer recommended by Dr. Lourié, some surgeons still occasionally use this method, especially when emergency surgery is needed.
Minimally Invasive Gallbladder Surgery
Both laparoscopic and robotic enhanced surgeries are much less invasive than open gallbladder surgery and result in less pain and faster recovery. In most case these surgeries are outpatient surgeries and you go home the same day. It takes about a week to fully recover.
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Option
During laparoscopic cholecystectomy, the surgeon usually makes four small incisions in your abdomen. A scope attached to a tiny video camera is inserted into your abdomen through one of the incisions. Your surgeon watches a video monitor in the operating room as special surgical instruments are inserted and your gallbladder and stones are removed. Laparoscopic instruments, though widely available, have more limitations and are more primitive than robotic instruments.
Robotic Option
With robotic enhanced laparoscopic surgery, Dr. Lourié is able to take advantage of the superior, enhanced 3-D visualization, precision, and control of the robotic system compared to that used in standard laparoscopic minimally invasive gallbladder surgery. In addition to less pain and faster recovery, this minimally invasive technology allows many patients to have safer surgery with often minimal scarring.
PATIENTS LOVE DR. LOURIÉ
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Dr. Lourié has a special interest in robot-enhanced surgery and published his early, extensive personal experience with robotic gastric bypass surgery. Dr. Lourié is one of the first surgeons in the world to use totally robotic staplers in gastric, intestinal, colorectal, and liver surgery and uses precise robotic cholecystectomy to treat gallbladder disease. Dr. Lourié teaches advanced robotic gallbladder surgery to doctors from around the country.