Almost half of my family is without a gall bladder? All doing fine. The organs that are removed if found bothersome, are the appendix and the gall bladder. What exactly is this organ???

The gallbladder is a small pear-shaped organ that stores and concentrates bile. The gallbladder is connected to the liver by a duct. It is approximately 3 to 4 inches long and about 1 inch wide.

The Bile is a digestive liquid continually secreted by the liver. The bile emulsifies fats and neutralizes acids in partly digested food.

Sometimes the substances contained in bile crystallize in the gallbladder, forming gallstones. These are common in persons over 40, especially in women and the obese. They can cause inflammation of the gallbladder, a disorder that produces symptoms similar to those of indigestion, especially after a fatty meal is consumed.

If a stone becomes lodged in the bile duct, it produces severe pain. Gallstones may pass out of the body spontaneously. However, serious blockage is treated by removing the gallbladder surgically.

The surgery to remove the gallbladder is called a cholecystectomy.

Once the gallbladder is removed, bile is delivered directly from the liver ducts to the upper part of the intestine. Thus the removal of gall bladder no way hinders the digestion.

Just in case you have the gallbladder troubling you, it is best to do away with it.

It is now done as a single incision laparoscopic procedure (SILS) with just a single hole though the navel at Lifeline Hospital.This SILS has revolutionized the surgical approach to this organ as it is virtually scarless and painless.