Gallbladder removal Turkey: keyhole surgery, 3 days in İzmir, £2,000 all-inclusive

With Op. Dr. Volkan Arayıcı in İzmir, the gallbladder removal cost is £2,000 all-inclusive: pre-operative tests, the keyhole operation, anaesthesia, one night in hospital, airport transfers, an interpreter and 12 months of follow-up. Only flights are extra. You pay on the day of surgery, in cash, with no deposit.

Three days. You arrive on day 1 and have blood tests, the operation follows on day 2 after a morning ultrasound and anaesthesia check, and on day 3 you are examined, discharged and fly home if everything is normal.

After an uncomplicated keyhole operation, most of our patients fly home on day 3, after the morning check. Many websites advise waiting one to two weeks; we decide on your findings, not the calendar. If your pain, temperature, blood results or wound are not right, you stay until they are. On the flight walk the aisle, drink water and move your legs.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is one of the most common operations worldwide and is safe in experienced hands. What matters is who operates and where: in our case a general and bariatric surgeon who has performed more than 5,000 keyhole obesity operations, in a JCI- and TEMOS-accredited hospital with an intensive care unit, and a 12-month follow-up after you go home.

Mainly because salaries, hospital fees and running costs are lower in Turkey, not because steps are left out. Privately in the UK gallbladder removal costs roughly £6,900 to £9,500; the operation, the equipment and the accreditation standards are the same.

Yes. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is performed with the same technique, the same type of camera and instruments and the same safety steps in Turkey as in the UK. The difference lies in the price, the waiting time and who operates — with us always Op. Dr. Volkan Arayıcı himself.

It is a real operation under general anaesthesia, but done by keyhole surgery it is one of the less demanding ones: about 30 minutes, three small incisions, one night in hospital and back to desk work after about five days.

The NHS does not publish a separate figure for gallbladder removal. For general surgery in England the median wait was around 13 weeks in summer 2026, and many patients wait considerably longer, especially if they have not yet had an ultrasound.

Yes. The liver keeps making bile; it simply trickles into the gut continuously instead of being stored. Most people eat normally within a few weeks. Some notice looser stools after fatty meals at first, which usually settles.

Small, low-fat meals for the first two to four weeks: lean meat, fish, rice, vegetables, fruit and plenty of water. Introduce fatty and fried foods slowly and see how you tolerate them. There is no lifelong diet.

Yes — lean turkey meat, without the skin, is one of the best protein sources after gallbladder surgery because it is low in fat. Grilled or baked is better than fried in the first weeks.

Yes, the large majority are done by keyhole surgery. In rare cases — severe inflammation, scarring or unclear anatomy — the surgeon converts to an open operation during surgery because it is safer. We tell you beforehand if your scan suggests this is more likely.

Shoulder-tip pain from the gas for a day or two, sore incisions, tiredness and sometimes loose stools after fatty meals. Rare complications are bleeding, infection, a bile leak or injury to the bile duct, and stones left in the bile duct. You get a written list of warning signs before you fly.

Walk from the evening of surgery. Light daily activities after a few days, desk work after about five days, driving once you can do an emergency stop without pain — usually after a week. No heavy lifting for about four weeks.

Send your ultrasound report and any blood results in advance, plus a list of your medicines — especially blood thinners. Do not eat for six hours before surgery. Bring loose clothing for the flight home.

Usually yes: most insurers ask about recent operations and planned treatment abroad. Tell your insurer about the operation and your travel dates, and check whether you need specialist medical-travel cover.

Rapid weight loss after bariatric surgery raises the risk of gallstones. If you already have symptomatic stones, send your ultrasound report and we will discuss whether to remove the gallbladder at the same time.