Elevated liver enzymes after gallbladder removal

Hi @bumble81, There have been formal studies done for patients who have had a laparoscopic cholecystectomy that showed elevated liver enzymes post-op. due to the CO2 pneumoperitoneum (the CO2 air bubble in the abdominal cavity), but it says that the majority of the patients returned to normal levels within a few weeks.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3134700/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15776093
https://www.currentsurgery.org/index.php/jcs/article/view/334/314
@rosemarya @hopeful33250 @bonitav and @jimhd have all mentioned having gallbladder surgery, wondering if they have ever heard of this.

Bumble, was your surgery laparoscopic? Have you had your enzymes tested recently and are they still elevated?

Hello @bumble81

I can understand your concern over the elevated liver enzymes. We all want to have a healthy liver and if we think there is a problem it can certainly cause anxiety. I had my gallbladder removed a number of years ago, however, it was in connection with another surgery to remove carcinoid cancer from a nearby area in the digestive tract. Because it was part of a larger surgery I was never sure what problems were associated with the gallbladder removal and what was attributed to the more extensive cancer surgery. Here is a Connect discussion from Members who have had gall bladder surgery, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/gallbladder-surgery/

There is another disorder that can follow gallbladder removal. It is rather rare and doctors may not think of it. It is called Sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. According to this information on the NIH website, elevated liver enzymes are typical with SOD. Here is the link with more information, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3096116/.

With that in mind, I wonder, as did Amanda (@amandaburnett), which type of gallbladder surgery you had and when you last had the liver enzymes tested.

Please share as you are comfortable doing so, @bumble81, but I'm wondering, besides the elevated liver enzymes, have you had any other symptoms since your surgery? Do you have any other family members with liver and/or gallbladder problems?

I had my gallbladder laparoscopically 6 days ago. On Friday night, I began to have this uncontrollable itch all over. I went to the ER the next morning and it was discovered my liver enzymes were significantly elevated (see attached picture). They even reached out to my surgeon who ordered an ultrasound because he did not like my numbers. Preliminary results showed nothing was wrong. They gave me two prescriptions to help with the itching until I follow up with the surgeon on Monday. Based upon my liver enzyme numbers, how concerned should I be?

Hi @tamekabonner and welcome! You will see I moved your post to a discussion that is talking about the same thing. Mayo Clinic Connect is a platform where patients can connect with other patients to share and compare health issues.
What type of Rxs did they give you and did your surgeon say why the ultrasound was ordered?

@amandaburnett Thank you! I was given Hydroxyzine & Famotidine.

My surgeon ordered an ultrasound, because he wanted to ensure there wasn't a blockage in the bile ducts. The results were released this morning it stated that the common bile duct was not definitively imaged.

I also have had elevated liver enzymes prior to and after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In fact one of the reasons my Dr. gave for having a cholecystectomy was elevated liver enzymes. However, it did not cause them to go down but have stayed elevated and even worsened over time. I'm curious about what else could cause this besides alcohol.

@jasonharjo Good morning, I hope you are doing well after your surgery. My name is Sandi and I am a patient Ambassador with the American Liver Foundation. I am being treated by Northwestern in Chicago since I was diagnosed with cirrhosis in May of 2020.
If you have not already, I would suggest seeing a hepatologist for the elevated liver enzymes. If you are located near a medical center, you can find one there. These providers are trained to manage the specifics of the liver and can give you the best direction and also follow your case and trend lines.
I wish you all the best and if you would like to discuss more, please let me know.

Why was your gallbladder removed? Did it burst by chance.
20 yrs ago, my brothers Gallbladder burst. He was quite sick and in the hospital for 6 weeks. After recovery, his liver enzymes were high for all those years. The doctors all thought he was drinking when he wasn't. Consequently, it turned out that when his gallbladder burst, 93 gallstones lodged into his liver which is very rare. Fortunately he found a doctor who read about this and did exploratory surgery. He had to remove 60% of my brothers liver. After 6 weeks the liver regenerated itself and my brother was fine.
I'm not saying this is your case, but suggesting you run it by your doctor for a possibility.
Hope you feel better soon.

I had my Gallbladder removed on October 16th laparoscopically. My liver enzymes have been extremely elevated since. I have alway had my blood work done every 3 months and they have alway been normal. My most recent ALT was 387 and my AST was 109. I have an appt with a gastro/liver doctor on Monday. Is this normal for my levels to be so high because of me having no GB now.

Hi @aprilgrivet, did you learn anything at your gastro-liver appointment yesterday that you could share with the group?