http://www.or-live.com/bonsecours/1884 Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the procedure to remove the gallbladder. It is a fairly routine surgery with more than 500,000 procedures performed in the United States each year. Gallstones are usually the cause of problems that lead to the removal of the gallbladder. These are small hard masses containing cholesterol and bile salts that can block the normal flow of bile from the gall bladder. This can result in severe abdominal pain, nausea, indigestion and sometimes fever and jaundice. Surgical removal of the gall bladder is the most common way to treat symptomatic gallstones. In a laparoscopic procedure, a miniature video camera is inserted into abdomen through a small incision. The surgeon can view the images from the camera on a video monitor and then uses special narrow instruments that are inserted through other small incisions. The gall bladder is removed through one of these incisions. Patients usually have less pain and faster recovery with a laparoscopic cholecystectomy than an open procedure where a larger incision is necessary. Patients may go home the day after surgery or even the same day. Normal activities can usually be resumed in about a week, including driving, walking up stairs, light lifting and working. Symptoms of Gallstones Gallstone "attack" may follow a fatty meal and may occur during the night Steady pain in upper abdomen that increases rapidly and lasts from 30 minutes to several hours Pain in the back between shoulder blades Pain under right shoulder Nausea or vomiting Other symptoms include abdominal bloating recurring intolerance of fatty food colic belching gas indigestion People who have the above and any of following symptoms should see a physician right away: chills low-grade fever yellowish color of skin or whites of eyes clay-colored stools People at Risk for Gallstones Women between age of 20 and 60 (twice as likely as men in this age group) People ...