Surgery Overview

In open gallbladder surgery (cholecystectomy), the surgeon removes the gallbladder through a single, large cut (incision) in the belly. The surgery usually lasts 1 to 2 hours. You will need general anesthesia. The surgeon will make the incision either under the border of the right rib cage or in the middle of the upper part of the belly (between the belly button and the end of the breastbone).

Doctors do most open gallbladder surgeries after trying first to remove the gallbladder with laparoscopic surgery. A few people have conditions that require open gallbladder surgery.

After surgery to remove the gallbladder, bile flows from the liver (where it is produced) through the common bile duct and into the small intestine. Because the gallbladder is gone, bile no longer is stored between meals. In most people, this has little or no effect on digestion.