What is the Function of a Gallbladder? A Surgeon’s Plain-Language Guide This is one of the most common question my patients will ask. The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ located in the upper right side of your abdomen, directly beneath your liver. Although it plays an important supporting role in your digestive system, many people are unsure of what it actually…
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What is the Function of a Gallbladder? A Surgeon’s Plain-Language Guide This is one of the most common question my patients will ask. The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ located in the upper right side of your abdomen, directly beneath your liver. Although it plays an important supporting role in your digestive system, many people are unsure of what it actually…
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If you have recently experienced sharp pain in your upper right abdomen—especially after a heavy or oily meal—you might be wondering if your gallbladder is to blame and whether surgery is inevitable. The short answer? Not every gallbladder issue requires surgery, but once gallstones start causing recurrent pain or complications, surgical removal is usually the definitive solution. Here is what you need…
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If you have recently experienced sharp pain in your upper right abdomen—especially after a heavy or oily meal—you might be wondering if your gallbladder is to blame and whether surgery is inevitable. The short answer? Not every gallbladder issue requires surgery, but once gallstones start causing recurrent pain or complications, surgical removal is usually the definitive solution. Here is what you need…
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18th Sept 2025 Introduction: Your Next Big Decision You’ve been dealing with recurrent abdominal pain for months, and your GP’s ultrasound confirmed the diagnosis: gallstones. The medical advice is clear—you need a cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal surgery). Now comes the most crucial part of the process: choosing the right surgeon for your operation. While the procedure is common, your safety and recovery depend…
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18th Sept 2025 Introduction: Your Next Big Decision You’ve been dealing with recurrent abdominal pain for months, and your GP’s ultrasound confirmed the diagnosis: gallstones. The medical advice is clear—you need a cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal surgery). Now comes the most crucial part of the process: choosing the right surgeon for your operation. While the procedure is common, your safety and recovery depend…
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28th October 2023 https://youtu.be/wVLgoqqkNng?si=JiGev_8W_m01EjAN The terminology used in this segment will be medically focused (aka more surgical terms). This segment will share some of my personal experience and techniques which I have used in the past. Some of the so called “exit strategy in a difficult case”. a) Calot’s triangle – Calot first described the boundaries as the common hepatic duct,…
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28th October 2023 https://youtu.be/wVLgoqqkNng?si=JiGev_8W_m01EjAN The terminology used in this segment will be medically focused (aka more surgical terms). This segment will share some of my personal experience and techniques which I have used in the past. Some of the so called “exit strategy in a difficult case”. a) Calot’s triangle – Calot first described the boundaries as the common hepatic duct,…
Continue Reading →
21st October 2023. Earlier this year, I was invited to speak at the 9th Biennial Congress of the Asian Pacific Hepato Pancreato Biliary Association on the topic of managing a difficult gallbladder. Unfortunately, I had other commitments and had to decline the invite. This article will share with you my thoughts and my personal experiences. When we perform surgery, we do not…
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21st October 2023. Earlier this year, I was invited to speak at the 9th Biennial Congress of the Asian Pacific Hepato Pancreato Biliary Association on the topic of managing a difficult gallbladder. Unfortunately, I had other commitments and had to decline the invite. This article will share with you my thoughts and my personal experiences. When we perform surgery, we do not…
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8th June 2023. Came across this interesting case earlier this year. Elderly patient with a history of known gallstone disease. Presented with a week history of abdominal pain and abdominal distention. He also felt nauseated and vomited numerous times. On examination, his abdomen was grossly distended and generally tender. A CT scan of the abdomen was ordered and it showed a large…
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8th June 2023. Came across this interesting case earlier this year. Elderly patient with a history of known gallstone disease. Presented with a week history of abdominal pain and abdominal distention. He also felt nauseated and vomited numerous times. On examination, his abdomen was grossly distended and generally tender. A CT scan of the abdomen was ordered and it showed a large…
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14th October 2022 Gallstones occurs in 20% of the population. Common complications are infected gallbladder (cholecystitis), inflammed pancreas (pancreatitis) and bile duct infection (cholangitis). I recently had a patient with a rare complication of gallstones. The patient presented with jaundice and gallstones that eroded through the gallbladder into the common hepatic duct. This condition is called Mirizzi syndrome. Pablo Mirizzi is an…
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14th October 2022 Gallstones occurs in 20% of the population. Common complications are infected gallbladder (cholecystitis), inflammed pancreas (pancreatitis) and bile duct infection (cholangitis). I recently had a patient with a rare complication of gallstones. The patient presented with jaundice and gallstones that eroded through the gallbladder into the common hepatic duct. This condition is called Mirizzi syndrome. Pablo Mirizzi is an…
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1st July 2022 Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) or keyhole surgery removing the gallbladder was first done in Singapore in 1990. My own experience in this procedure started in the early 2000s. There are lots of surgical literature regarding the safety and techniques of gallbladder surgery. Recently there is also a trend to publish classifications of cholecystitis (infected gallbladder). Current teaching in laparoscopic…
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1st July 2022 Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) or keyhole surgery removing the gallbladder was first done in Singapore in 1990. My own experience in this procedure started in the early 2000s. There are lots of surgical literature regarding the safety and techniques of gallbladder surgery. Recently there is also a trend to publish classifications of cholecystitis (infected gallbladder). Current teaching in laparoscopic…
Continue Reading →
Gallstones are found in 20% of the population. This is a very common condition in the world. Some people would experience abdominal pain (biliary colic) from gallstones. This pain is usually located above the umbilicus (belly button) or just below the right rib cage. Perforated Gangrenous Cholecystitis For patients who have pain from gallstones, I would recommend that they have the gallbladder…
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Gallstones are found in 20% of the population. This is a very common condition in the world. Some people would experience abdominal pain (biliary colic) from gallstones. This pain is usually located above the umbilicus (belly button) or just below the right rib cage. Perforated Gangrenous Cholecystitis For patients who have pain from gallstones, I would recommend that they have the gallbladder…
Continue Reading →
I do see a large number of patients with abdominal pain in the clinic. Many of these patients have recurrent episodes of pain for a number of years. Patients often tell me it is their gastritis or reflux pain. The nerve supply of the stomach, liver, gallbladder and pancreas all comes from the same spinal roots. In other words, the nerve supply…
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I do see a large number of patients with abdominal pain in the clinic. Many of these patients have recurrent episodes of pain for a number of years. Patients often tell me it is their gastritis or reflux pain. The nerve supply of the stomach, liver, gallbladder and pancreas all comes from the same spinal roots. In other words, the nerve supply…
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