Gall bladder removed through mouth

Recovery time from surgery to remove a gall bladder can be long and often painful. And over the years, surgeons have developed techniques to reduce the problem, using a laparoscope to make a much smaller incision.

But now, reports the Associated Press, comes gall bladder removal with no abdominal incision, because the organ is removed through the patient's mouth.

Using a technique he perfected in Brazil, Oregon surgeon Dr Lee Swanstrom has performed at least three gall bladder removals in which the surgical instrument is sent into the stomach through the mouth, the wire service reports.

Swanstrom then cuts a small hole in the patient's stomach, locates the gall bladder and removes it through the mouth. The recovery time is much faster, the AP quotes Swanstrom as saying. And while the procedure is still in its experimental stage, he plans 22 more surgeries to measure outcomes. – (HealthDayNews)

June 2007