Accompanying symptoms of pain after biliary surgery | Pain after biliary surgery

Accompanying symptoms of pain after biliary surgery

After a biliary surgery, besides pain, other symptoms can occur, which are either naturally caused by the procedure, but can also indicate a complication. In the days following the operation, many patients complain of fatigue and exhaustion, which is caused on the one hand by the general anesthesia and on the other hand by the temporary weakening of the body due to the operation. Temporary digestive disorders, especially constipation, are also common.

Diagnosis

In case of pain after biliary surgery, the most important basis for making a diagnosis is a medical consultation in conjunction with a physical examination. Based on the patient’s information about when the pain occurs, its character (for example, dull, wavy or sharp) and possible accompanying symptoms, the physician can in most cases already assess whether it is normal pain during wound healing after surgery or whether there might be a complication. A wound healing disorder can be determined, for example, by increased redness, swelling and, if necessary, pus formation. A determination of the inflammation and bile values in the blood can also provide information about the cause of the pain. Depending on the physician’s assessment, a more extensive examination, for example using ultrasound, may be appropriate for finding a diagnosis.

Prognosis

Pain can occur after a bile operation, but this can usually be combated or at least reduced by routinely administered painkillers. Once the structures injured by the operation, such as the abdominal wall, have healed, the pain usually disappears again. Even if complications such as inflammation occur, the pain usually subsides within a few days to a maximum of a few weeks with appropriate medical treatment. In very rare cases, long-term pain is possible as a result of a bile operation, which may then have to be treated with painkillers.