Kolkata surgeon removes whopping 11.6 inch gallbladder, second longest in India

Kolkata: A Kolkata based surgeon removed India's 2nd longest 11.6 inches gall bladder from a 61-year old woman. The extracted gallbladder stayed inches away from the world recorder holder gallbladder extending up to 11.8 inches, which was removed from a woman in Rajasthan.

The surgery was performed on a 61-year-old woman who was diagnosed with a fairly large obstruction in her gallbladder after having conducted ultrasonography at AMRI hospital, Mukundapur.

Dr. Sanjoy Mandal, Senior GI, laparoscopic and onco surgeon conducted a CT scan on the patient after which it was found that the size of the gallbladder has increased significantly. The CT scan report revealed that the gall bladder has extended beyond its normal size to almost 12 inches, as opposed to the natural size which is 3-5 inches.

The diameter of the gallbladder, which is normally at around 4 millimeters, had also expanded significantly. Incidentally, the longest gallbladder, at 11.8 inches, was found in a woman from Churu, Rajasthan in 2017, which became a world record acknowledged by the Guinness Book.

Summarizing his experience to Medical Dialogues Dr Sanjoy Mandal said "this 63-year-old lady presented with sudden onset pain in the abdomen and on investigation was found to have a large gallbladder with large stone impacted at the neck of gallbladder. Apart forma an USG we also got A CECT fo the abdomen done. The gallbladder was also stuck to the bile duct. She underwent laparoscopic surgery for removal of the gallbladder with laparoscopic repair her bile duct as the GB was stuck to her bleeding duct. Because of the huge gallbladder and the added complication of the GB being stuck to the bile duct she underwent a difficult laparoscopic surgery "

The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ that rests beneath the right side of the liver with natural length 3-5 inches. Its main purpose is to collect and concentrate a digestive liquid (bile) produced by the liver. Bile is released from the gallbladder after eating, aiding digestion. Bile travels through narrow tubular channels (bile ducts) into the small intestine. Removal of the gallbladder is not associated with any impairment of digestion in most people.

Gallbladder problems are usually caused by the presence of gallstones which are usually small and hard, consisting primarily of cholesterol and bile salts that form in the gallbladder or in the bile duct. It is uncertain why some people form gallstones but risk factors include being female, prior pregnancy, age over 40 years and being overweight. Gallstones are also more common as you get older and some people may have a family history of gallstones.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy, commonly referred to as a lap chole, involves the removal of the gallbladder through a laparoscopic approach.

A relieved Mrs Bhowmik said, "I used to think my problem was related to indigestion. My protruding belly used to worry my husband and my son. They first took me to a local physician, who claimed my problems were due to an enlarged liver. We decided to take a second opinion and visited AMRI Hospitals, Mukundapur, where doctors properly diagnosed me. I feel much better now that the surgery is over," she said.