Gallbladder Disease (Cholecystectomy)

To control or eliminate severe gallbladder symptoms, your doctor may recommend surgery to remove your gallbladder.1 Fortunately, the gallbladder is an organ that you can live without.

If you’ve been told you need gallbladder surgery, ask your doctor about Single-Site da Vinci Surgery. It is minimally invasive – performed through a single small incision using state-of-the-art technology.

Patients who choose Single-Site da Vinci Surgery experience virtually scarless results. That’s because the surgeon operates through only one small incision in the navel (belly button). After a fast recovery, the scar is almost impossible to see.
Single-Site da Vinci Surgery offers patients the following potential benefits:

  • Minimal scarring2,3
  • Minimal pain2,4
  • Low blood loss2
  • Fast recovery4
  • Short hospital stay2,4
  • High patient satisfaction4

This procedure is performed using the da Vinci Surgical System . da Vinci is a state-of-the-art robotic surgical platform that translates your surgeon’s hand movements into smaller, more precise movements of instruments inside your body. da Vinci’s vision system provides your surgeon with 3D-HD visualization allowing for enhanced vision, precision, dexterity and control. During the entire procedure, your surgeon is 100% in control of the da Vinci System.

Compared to manual single-port (access) laparoscopy, da Vinci surgeons have improved precision, control, better ergonomics and greater access. These advantages allow your surgeon to perform the most precise and comprehensive single-incision surgery available today.

By overcoming the limits of both traditional open and laparoscopic surgery, da Vinci is changing the experience of surgery for people around the world.

Learn more about treatment options for gallbladder disease.

Surgery is specific to each patient, condition and procedure. It is important to talk to your doctor about all treatment options, including the risks and benefits. This information can help you make the best decision for your situation.

Different Treatment Options for Cholecystectomy

Changes in your diet can sometimes help with gallbladder symptoms. But, doctors often recommend removing the gallbladder to ease or get rid of severe symptoms. Fortunately, the gallbladder is an organ that you can live without.

Surgery to remove your gallbladder is known as a cholecystectomy. It is a very common procedure, especially in Western countries; there are about 700,000 cholecystectomies performed each year in the United States alone.

Open Surgery

If the gallbladder is removed using open surgery, the surgeon must make a long incision (5-8 inches) to access the gallbladder.6 This may cause more pain and a greater risk of complications.6 Today, most patients have their gallbladder removed with minimally invasive surgery.6

Laparoscopic Surgery

Your doctor may recommend laparoscopic surgery to remove your gallbladder. It is minimally invasive, which means the surgeon makes a few small incisions instead of one long incision. Long-handled rigid instruments and a small camera are used to access and remove the gallbladder.

Fortunately, there is another minimally invasive option designed to overcome the limits of traditional surgery – da Vinci® Surgery.

Da Vinci Surgery

Single-Site da Vinci Surgery is minimally invasive – performed through a single small incision using state-of-the-art technology. Patients who choose Single-Site da Vinci Surgery experience virtually scarless results. That’s because the surgeon operates through only one small incision in the navel (belly button). After a fast recovery, the scar is almost impossible to see.

The da Vinci System is a robotic surgical platform that provides surgeons with 3D-HD visualization that allows for enhanced vision, precision, dexterity and control. During the entire procedure, your surgeon is 100% in control of the da Vinci System.

 
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    1. X-Plain Cholecystectomy – Open and Laparoscopic Reference Summary, National Institutes of Health, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/cholecystectomyopenandlaparoscopic/gs019103.pdf
    2. Kroh M, El-Hayek K, Rosenblatt S, Chand B, Escobar P, Kaouk J, Chalikonda S. First human surgery with a novel single-port robotic system: cholecystectomy using the da Vinci Single-Site platform. Surg Endosc. 2011 Nov;25(11):3566-73. Epub 2011 Jun 3.
    3. Haber GP, White MA, Autorino R, Escobar PF, Kroh MD, Chalikonda S, Khanna R, Forest S, Yang B, Altunrende F, Stein RJ, Kaouk JH. Novel robotic da Vinci instruments for laparoendoscopic single-site surgery. Urology. 2010 Dec;76(6):1279-82. Epub 2010 Oct 27.
    4. Wren SM, Curet MJ. Single-port robotic cholecystectomy: results from a first human use clinical study of the new da Vinci single-site surgical platform. Arch Surg. 2011 Oct;146(10):1122-7. Epub 2011 Jun 20
    5. X-Plain Cholecystectomy – Open and Laparoscopic Reference Summary, National Institutes of Health, http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/cholecystectomyopenandlaparoscopic/gs019103.pd
    6. National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov, URL: http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gallstones/#3
 

Single-SiteTM Instrumentation for the da Vinci® SiTM System has CE Mark and is FDA cleared for cholecystectomy. While clinical studies suggest that the da Vinci® Surgical System using Single-SiteTM Instrumentation is an effective tool for single-incision cholecystectomy, individual results may vary. Surgery with the da Vinci Surgical System may not be appropriate for every individual. Always ask your doctor about all treatment options, as well as their risks and benefits. © 2012 Intuitive Surgical. All rights reserved. Intuitive, Intuitive Surgical, da Vincida Vinci Sda Vinci Si, and EndoWristare trademarks or registered trademarks of Intuitive Surgical.

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