What is the treatment for cholecystitis?
You will normally be admitted to hospital. Usually you will not be allowed to eat or drink (to rest the gallbladder), and you will be given fluids and painkillers directly into a vein through a ‘drip’. With this initial treatment the gallstone that caused the blockage often falls back into the gallbladder, and the inflammation and symptoms often settle down. If the doctor suspects that the gallbladder has become infected, you will also be given antibiotics directly into a vein through the ‘drip’. The gallbladder will usually be removed by an operation. The operation is often done within a few days of being admitted to hospital. Sometimes the operation is delayed for several weeks until the inflammation has settled. Different techniques to remove the gallbladder may be used depending on various factors. • ‘Key-hole’ surgery is now the most common way to remove a gallbladder. The medical term for this operation is laparoscopic cholecystectomy. It is called key-hole surgery as only small
