Gallstones & Pelvic Pain
Gallstones cause symptoms and pain in the abdomen and at times in the back of the patient suffering from a gallstone attack. Pelvic pain is a consideration after laparoscopic surgery to remove the gallbladder and gallstones. Spilled stones during the procedure can cause pain in the pelvic area or result in infertility.
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Spilled Gallstones
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Cholecystectomy or gallbladder removal is one of the most common surgeries performed today. In most cases, gallbladder surgery is laparoscopic surgery, which requires only four small incisions. The recovery time is relatively short when compared with the traditional open surgery of the past.
During the surgery, gallstones are spilled while the gallbladder is being removed. In most cases, this does not cause a problem. There have been a small number of cases where the spilled gallstones have embedded in the pelvic area, resulting in pelvic pain after the surgery. A severely inflamed gallbladder or obese patients increase the risk of spilled gallstones.
Retrieving Spilled Gallstones
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To avoid complications from spilled gallstones, the doctor should remove the stones after the spill. The stones may remain in the peritoneal cavity or they can move to distant sites in the body.
Doctors make every effort to retrieve spilled stones and irrigate the area to eliminate infected bile from the peritoneal cavity. It is not usually necessary to convert to a traditional open surgery to retrieve spilled gallstones.
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Removal After Surgery
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Gallstones that are not retrieved during the original surgery may cause complications later. The treatment of the complications will depend on where the problems occur and the size of the stones that are left. Larger stones may have to be broken up before they are removed. Smaller stones can be removed with a nephroscope and dilator.
Effects
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Cases of pelvic pain after gallbladder surgery have occurred when spilled gallstones have embedded in the ovaries or migrated to the pelvic area. These stones are responsible for chronic pain and have the potential to cause infertility.
Warning
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Pelvic pain experienced after gallbladder surgery could be the result of spilled gallstones. While the cases have been rare, it should be noted and investigated to determine if spilled gallstones have migrated to the pelvic area.
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