Gallstones lost during surgery!

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Question Regarding: Gallstones lost during surgery?
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Viewers Question

My ultrasound showed hundreds of small gallstones, one week later when my gallbladder was removed the pathology report showed a diseased gallbladder but no stones. Could they have been lost during laproscopic surgery?

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Doctors Answer

It is possible for gallstones to be lost when the gallbladder ruptures at the time of surgery. Sometimes the bile is emptied from the gallbladder by the surgeon or pathologist after the gallbladder is removed. Though it is unlikely that hundreds of gallstones would have been overlooked, it is possible that the surgeon or pathologist omitted mention of the stones in their reports. Your surgeon should be able to tell you if rupture occurred or explain why no gallstones were found.

Please remember, information can be subject to interpretation and can become obsolete. Therefore, information should never be a substitute for an open and trusting doctor-patient relationship. Always consult your doctor.

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