Laparoscopic Gallbladder Surgery for Gallstones

The overall risk of laparoscopic gallbladder surgery is very low. The most serious possible complications include:

• Infection of an incision.
• Internal bleeding.
• Injury to the Reference common bile duct Opens New Window.
• Injury to the small intestine by one of the instruments used during surgery.
• Reference Risks of general anesthesia.

Other uncommon complications may include:

• Injury to the cystic duct, which carries bile from the gallbladder to the common bile duct.
• Gallstones that remain in the abdominal cavity.
• Bile that leaks into the abdominal cavity.
• Injury to abdominal blood vessels, such as the major blood vessel carrying blood from the heart to the liver (hepatic artery). This is rare.
• A gallstone being pushed into the common bile duct.
• The liver being cut.

More surgery may be needed to repair these complications.

After gallbladder surgery, some people have ongoing abdominal symptoms, such as pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea (Reference postcholecystectomy syndrome).

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