Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva underwent successful surgery on Wednesday to remove his gallbladder after it became inflamed.

According to UFC President Dana White, symptoms set in rather quickly, and Silva needed to have an operation to remove the gallbladder before things got worse.

“Late in the afternoon (on Tuesday), we get the call (Silva’s) violently ill, he’s throwing up, and everything else,” said White. “Ends up, (Wednesday) morning at 7:30, he went in for surgery. He had a problem with gallbladder….he was in surgery for almost two hours. It’s crazy.”

Suffering From Acute Cholecystitis

Silva’s doctor commented on the surgery, calling the operation a success. He also talked about Silva’s timeline to return to the Octagon.

“He had the operation and everything went well, as expected,” said Dr. Marcio Tannure. “This surgery requires from four to six weeks of rest before he can resume his activities.”

Dr. Tannure stated that Silva had to have his gallbladder removed after suffering from acute cholecystitis. As we explained in a previous blog, cholecystitis is the medical term used to describe an inflamed gallbladder. A gallbladder becomes inflamed when bile can’t successfully pass from the organ into the small intestine. This causes fluid to build up in the gallbladder, and the organ eventually becomes inflamed.

Cholecystitis Causes & Symptoms

The most common cause for the development of cholecystitis is a gallstone, but Dr. Tannure noted that there was no clear cause as to what was obstructing the flow of bile from the gallbladder.

Based on the symptoms reported by Dana White, symptoms set in quickly and severely. When this happens, surgeons don’t typically recommend that the patient attempt to fast or take antibiotics, which can sometimes relieve symptoms from minor cases of cholecystitis. Since the gallbladder is a non-essential organ, and because of the possible complications associated with unsuccessful conservative treatment, surgery is typically recommended in severe instances. Luckily for Silva, a cholecystectomy is a pretty routine procedure when it’s performed by a skilled endocrine system surgeon. By all indication, Silva’s surgery went off without a hitch, and although he may have some diet and activity restrictions in the coming weeks, he should be able to return to competitive fighting along Dr. Tannure’s original 4-6 week timeline.

So as you can see, even celebrities and sports stars can be felled by an inflamed gallbladder, and symptoms can seemingly arise out of nowhere. If you experience serious abdominal pain or unexplained vomiting, contact a skilled endocrine system doctor today.