Dr. Lee was born in Shanghai, China, and received his college and medical training in the United States. He is fluent in English and three Chinese dialects. He graduated with chemistry departmental honors from Harvey Mudd College. He was appointed president of AOA society at UCLA School of Medicine. He underwent internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship training at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.
Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
The surgery to remove the gallbladder is called a
cholecystectomy (chol-e-cys-tec-to-my). The
gallbladder is removed through a 5 to 8 inch long
incision, or cut, in your abdomen. The cut is made
just below your ribs on the right side and goes to just
below your waist. This is called open
cholecystectomy.
A less invasive way to remove the gallbladder is called
laparoscopic cholecystectomy. This surgery uses a
laparoscope (an instrument used to see the inside of your
body) to remove the gallbladder. It is performed through
several small incisions rather than through one large
incision.
What is a laparoscope and how is it used to remove the
gallbladder?
A laparoscope is a small, thin tube that is put
into your body through a tiny cut made just below your
navel. Your surgeon can then see your gallbladder on a
television screen and do the surgery with tools inserted in
three other small cuts made in the right upper part of your
abdomen. Your gallbladder is then taken out through one of
the incisions.
Are there any benefits of laparoscopic cholecystectomy
compared with open cholecystectomy?
With laparoscopic cholecystectomy, you may return to
work sooner, have less pain after surgery, and have a
shorter hospital stay and a shorter recovery time. Surgery
to remove the gallbladder with a laparoscope does not
require that the muscles of your abdomen be cut, as they
are in open surgery. The incision is much smaller, which
makes recovery go quicker.
With laparoscopic cholecystectomy, you probably will
only have to stay in the hospital overnight. With open
cholecystectomy, you would have to stay in the hospital for
about five days. Because the incisions are smaller with
laparoscopic cholecystectomy, there isn't as much pain
after this operation as after open cholecystectomy.
Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
Gallstones are stones that form when substances in the bile harden. Gallstones (formed in the gallbladder) can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball. There can be just one large stone, hundreds of tiny stones, or any combination. The majority of gallstones do not cause symptoms.
Pancreatitis is a rare disease in which the pancreas becomes inflamed, occurring when digestive enzymes are activated and begin attacking the pancreas causing damage to the gland. There are two types of pancreatitis, acute and chronic. Most commonly caused by alcohol or gallstones, it can lead to bleeding in the gland, serious tissue damage, infection, and cysts. Enzymes and toxins may then enter the bloodstream and seriously injure organs, such as the heart, lungs, and kidney.
Jaundice is a yellowish staining of the skin and whites of the eyes (sclerae) with bilirubin, the pigment found in bile. Jaundice can be an indicator of liver or gallbladder disease, or it may result from the rupture of red blood cells (hemolysis).
Digestion is the complex process of turning food you eat into the energy you need to survive. The digestive process also involves creating waste to be eliminated, and is made of a series of muscles that coordinate the movement of food.
While the patient's history and physical examination are the building blocks
of making a medical diagnosis, the ability to peer inside the body can be a
powerful tool. Ultrasound is an imaging technique that provides that
ability to medical practitioners.
What is an ultrasound?
Ultrasound produces sound waves that are beamed into the body causing return
echoes that are recorded to "visualize" structures beneath the skin. The ability
to measure different echoes reflected from a variety of tissues allows a shadow
picture to be constructed. The technology is especially accurate at seeing the
interface between solid and fluid filled spaces. These are actually the same
principles that allow SONAR on boats to see the bottom of the ocean.
What is ultrasonography?
Ultrasonography is body imaging using ultrasound in medical diagnosis. A
skilled ultrasound technician is able to...
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