Cholecystectomy Surgery in India - Cost, Top Doctors & Leading Hospitals

A gallbladder is a pear-shaped small organ that stores the bile (a digestive fluid) that the liver produces. Its place in the body is on the upper right side of the abdomen. The gallbladder releases the bile into the small intestine to facilitate the digestion of food. When the gallbladder gets infected, blocked, or inflamed, it causes disease of the gallbladder which may lead to the necessity of removing the gallbladder surgically which is known as Cholecystectomy gallbladder removal. The symptoms of any gallbladder-related issues include fever, indigestion, heartburn, bloating and gas, nausea, vomiting, sharp pain in the abdomen usually in the middle of the upper abdomen, back pain, and jaundice.

The most common gallbladder problem is the gallstones. The gallstones are basically small, hard bile deposits. The gallstones can further give rise to other complications like cholecystitis (inflamed gallbladder), pancreatitis (inflamed pancreas), gallbladder cancer, jaundice, bile duct infection, tumors in the bile ducts and gallbladder, etc. If you are diagnosed with any of these gallbladder diseases, then your doctor will prioritize the non-surgical methods of treating the condition. However, if any of the non-invasive treatments do not show any positive results, or if they are not feasible, your surgeon may recommend you for the surgical removal of the gallbladder.

The studies show that the rates of cholecystectomy have increased by 92% in Africa in which 28.8% are young patients. The prevalence of gallbladder cancer is also high in many African countries. Due to underdeveloped medical facilities, many people from African countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Zambia, and Uganda are traveling to India for treatment. The reason is the most cost-effective and premium treatment service. The cost of treatment in India is the lowest in the world. The cholecystectomy hospitals in India provide good facilities while making their patients comfortable during their stay in India for treatment procedures.

What are the Types of Gallbladder Removal Surgery in India?

The removal of a gallbladder with the surgical approach is known as cholecystectomy. Before opting the surgical cholecystectomy, your doctor prefers the other less-invasive approaches (such as medicines) to treat the condition. However, if the severity of the condition is high, the doctor may suggest for cholecystectomy gallbladder removal procedure.

There are two types of approaches for cholecystectomy gallbladder removal, these are:

■ Open surgery approach (Surgical Cholecystectomy):

It is a traditional method of surgery. In this procedure, the surgeon makes only one incision of about 4 to 6 inches on the upper-right side of the abdomen, reaches the gallbladder, and removes it from the body.

■ Laparoscopic cholecystectomy operation:

In this method, the surgeon makes three to four small incisions, inserts a device known as a laparoscope through one of the incisions and the surgical tools from another incision, performs the surgery with the guidance of a camera (attached to the laparoscope) and TV monitor, and removes the gallbladder from the body.

While performing the laparoscopic surgery, if your surgeon finds other complications, then he may suggest doing the traditional approach of the surgery which is the open surgery. The function of the gallbladder is to store the bile (digestive juice that helps in the digestion of food) that is made by the liver. After the gallbladder is removed from the body, the bile is directly released into the small intestine without getting stored anywhere.

What is the Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Operation?

In the gallbladder removal laparoscopic approach, the surgeon makes multiple small holes in the abdomen, hence it is also known as keyhole surgery. The surgeon removes the gallbladder with the help of a flexible tube that has a camera and light on its tip that shows the internal parts of the body on the monitor as the surgeon performs the procedure. Following are the steps that your surgeon follows for this procedure.

• First of all, you will be given anesthesia for comfortable and pain-free surgery.
• Then, the site of the incision will be disinfected to prevent any infection.
• After sanitizing the incision site, your surgeon will make about three to four tiny cuts/incisions on the upper right side of the abdomen.
• A thin, tube-like flexible instrument known as a laparoscope is then inserted through one of the incisions. A laparoscope has a camera and light attached to it which will show the internal structures on a TV monitor.
• Through other incisions, the surgical instruments are inserted.
• While looking at the TV monitor, your surgeon will perform the surgery.
• Your surgeon will first pump a carbon dioxide gas into your abdomen to increase the area to create space to perform the surgery.
• He/she will then cut the blood supply and detach the bile ducts attached to the gallbladder.
• Once it is done, your surgeon will then remove your gallbladder from one of the incisions.
• Disinfect the internal part of your abdomen.
• And closes the incisions with stitches.
• After stitching the incisions, a dressing is done and that wound is covered to prevent any infection.

Note: during the laparoscopic cholecystectomy operation, if your surgeon finds any complications that hinder the procedure, then he/she might need to switch to the open surgery.

Recommended Doctors for Cholecystectomy Surgery in India

1. Dr. Vicky Kuldeep

2. Dr. Sumeet Shah

3. Dr. Vinay Kumar Shaw

4. Dr. Arvind Kumar

5. Dr. Nikhil Narain

Cholecystectomy Surgery Cost in India

The total cost of cholecystectomy surgery in India depends on the type of surgery, hospital and the city where the hospital is, your overall health, insurance coverage, medication cost, travel cost, stay, your surgeon’s fees, your age, the severity of your condition, etc. However, the average cost of cholecystectomy gallbladder removal procedure in India ranges from 1500 USD to 3000 USD. This cost is much lower than the cost of the same procedure in other developed countries like the USA, where the cost of the same procedure is about 5,491 USD to 17,391 USD, and the UK, where the cost is around 5676.14 USD to 8829.55 USD. You can get the best medical care at a much lower cost. Also, the surgeons in Indian hospitals have many years of experience with deep knowledge in their particular fields. Many top hospitals in India are providing different treatment packages that you can choose from. The visa application is also very smooth and simple. If you are planning to travel to any country for your treatment, you can choose India without any hesitation.

What is the Open Gallbladder Surgery?

Your surgeon gives first priority to the laparoscopic cholecystectomy operation. However, if you have other medical conditions (such as bile duct injury, extensive inflammation, adhesions, anatomical variations, retained bile duct stones, or incontrollable bleeding) that makes the laparoscopic approach non-suitable to you, then your surgeon shifts to the open surgical technique. Following are the steps that your surgeon follows for this procedure.

• First of all, you will be given general anesthesia to make you asleep so that you don’t feel pain during the operation.
• Then your surgeon will disinfect the area of incision to prevent any infection penetration on the inside of your abdomen.
• After sanitizing the incision site, your surgeon will make only one large incision of about 4 to 6 inches on the upper-right side of your abdomen.
• After making an incision, your surgeon will pull back your muscles and tissues so that he can reach the liver and gallbladder.
• Your surgeon will then cut the blood supply and the bile ducts that are connected to your gallbladder.
• Your surgeon will carefully remove the gallbladder from the body.
• Then he/she will disinfect the area in the abdomen, and close the incision.
• The incision is then closed with the stitches and dressing is applied to prevent any possible infection.

Why Cholecystectomy Surgery in India?

Although being a small organ, the diseased gallbladder can cause many other complications in the body. If the gallbladder is causing any other medical condition in the body, then removing it surgically is the right option to choose. There are two types of cholecystectomy gallbladder removal surgery to remove a gallbladder. One is less invasive and another one is a slightly invasive procedure. Based on the severity of your condition and other factors, your surgeon will recommend the best option that is suitable for you. With proper care and rest after the surgery, you can resume your work and normal activities within three to six weeks depending upon the type of procedure done. If you are thinking about traveling to another country for your treatment, you should consider India as the Indian hospitals have modern infrastructure with the best facilities. Also, the surgeons here are super knowledgeable and have years of experience. Not only during the treatment, but you can call and ask any of your queries to your doctor even after your treatment is completed. Considering the medical service provided, and the total cost of the treatment, you should consider India to get your surgery done.

Recovery After Cholecystectomy Gallbladder Removal Procedure

The complete recovery time of the cholecystectomy surgery depends on what type of approach is used to perform the surgery. Most of the patients who had a keyhole surgery are discharged from the hospital on either the same day or the next day of the procedure. But with the open surgery, the patients might need to stay in the hospital for about three to five days.

With proper rest and recovery after the laparoscopic surgery, you will be able to return to your normal activities within two weeks. Also, you can return to your desk job after two weeks but you need more recovery time if you do a more hectic job. In case of open surgery, you can return to your desk job after three to four weeks, and to your manual jobs in about six to eight weeks. You will start to heal faster if you follow the surgeon's instructions about home care after the surgery.

Your surgeon might give you these guidelines to follow after the surgery.

• In most cases, the surgeon will use the dissolvable stitches. However, if non-dissolvable stitches are used, then you will be given a follow-up appointment to remove the stitches.
• You will be given instructions on how to take care of the incision site, how and when to change the dressing, when you can start having baths, etc.
• You will be advised to eat light food after the surgery and gradually start your normal food. Try to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.
• Drinking enough water is very essential for smooth recovery. It will help you stay fresh and prevent constipation.
• Do gentle exercises that are recommended by your surgeon. Normal walking will be good; it helps in proper blood circulation in the body. But avoid any intense exercises.

Cholecystectomy Surgery FAQs