Gallbladder, Colon & Spleen Surgery
Newark, DE 19713
Phone: (302) 892-9900
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Nearby Locations We Serve
- Wilmington, DE
- Newark, DE
- Bear, DE
- Dover, DE
- Middletown, DE
- Seaford, DE
- Chester, PA
- West Chester, PA
- Elkton, MD
- Aberdeen, MD
- Woodbury, NJ
- Pennsville, NJ
Gallbladder Procedures
Gallbladder removal is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures in the United States. Today, gallbladder surgery is performed laparoscopically. The medical name for this procedure is Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.
The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ that rests beneath the right side of the liver. Its main purpose is to collect and concentrate a digestive liquid (bile) produced by the liver. Bile is released from the gallbladder after eating, aiding digestion. Bile travels through narrow tubular channels (bile ducts) into the small intestine.
Removal of the gallbladder is not associated with any impairment of digestion in most people. Gallbladder problems are usually caused by the presence of gallstones: small hard masses consisting primarily of cholesterol and bile salts that form in the gallbladder or in the bile duct. It is uncertain why some people form gallstones.
There is no known means to prevent gallstones. These stones may block the flow of bile out of the gallbladder, causing it to swell and resulting in sharp abdominal pain, vomiting, indigestion and, occasionally, fever. If the gallstone blocks the common bile duct, jaundice (a yellowing of the skin) can occur.
The surgeons at CHRIAS typically perform this procedure using minimally invasive techniques. A thorough medical evaluation by your personal physician, in consultation with a surgeon trained in laparoscopy, can determine if laparoscopic gallbladder removal is an appropriate procedure for you.
Colon Procedures
Patients undergoing colon surgery often face a long and difficult recovery because the traditional "open" procedures are highly invasive. In most cases, surgeons are required to make a long incision. Surgery results in an average hospital stay of a week or more and usually 6 weeks of recovery.
The surgeons at CHRIAS typically perform this procedure using minimally invasive techniques instead. The laparoscopic technique allows surgeons to perform many common colon procedures through small incisions. Depending on the type of procedure, patients may leave the hospital in a few days and return to normal activities more quickly than patients recovering from open surgery.
Laparoscopic colectomy is an alternative to open colectomy for curable cancer. When performed by experienced surgeons, laparoscopic colectomy survival results are comparable to those of open colectomy. These equivalent outcomes are the result of adherence to standard cancer resection techniques, including but not limited to complete exploration of the abdomen, adequate proximal and distal margins, ligation of the major vessels at their respective origins, containment and careful tissue handling, and en bloc resection with negative tumor margins when using the laparoscopic approach.
Although laparoscopic colon resection has many benefits, it may not be appropriate for some patients. Obtain a thorough medical evaluation by a surgeon qualified in laparoscopic colon resection in consultation with your primary care physician to find out if the technique is appropriate for you.
Spleen Procedures
There are several reasons why a spleen might need to be removed, and the following list, though not all-inclusive, includes the most common reasons:
- The most common reason is a condition called idiopathic (unknown cause) thrombocytopenia (low platelets) purpura (ITP). Platelets are blood cells which aid is blood clotting.
- Hemolytic anemia (a condition that breaks down red blood cells) requires a spleen removal to prevent or decrease the need for transfusion.
- Cancers of the cells that fight infection, known as lymphoma or certain types of leukemia, require spleen removal. When the spleen gets enlarged, it sometimes removes too many platelets from your blood and has to be removed.
- Other reasons include hereditary (genetic) conditions that affect the shape of ed blood cells, conditions known as spherocystosis, sickle cell disease or thallassemia.
The surgeons at CHRIAS typically perform this procedure using minimally invasive techniques. Most patients can have a laparoscopic splenectomy. Though the experience of the surgeon is the biggest factor in a successful outcome, the size of the spleen is the most important determinant in deciding whether the spleen can be removed laparoscopically. When the size of the spleen is extremely large, it is difficult to perform the laparoscopic technique.
You should obtain a thorough evaluation by a surgeon qualified in laparoscopic spleen removal along with consultation with your other physicians to find out if this technique is appropriate for you.
