Gallbladder Stones: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, And More

Complications Of Gallstones

If left untreated despite the appearance of mild symptoms, gallstone disease can result in the following complications:

• Blockage of the bile duct, leading to extreme pain, infection of gall bladder, bile ducts, liver, and, in some cases, jaundice.
• Blockage of pancreatic duct, which connects the pancreas to the bile duct, & is the main passageway for pancreatic digestive juices, can take place as well. This can result in inflammation of the pancreas which requires immediate hospitalization. 
• The gallbladder can become inflamed (acute cholecystitis) if the gallbladder stones block the neck of the gallbladder. This can cause severe abdominal pain & fever. 
• People who have a history of gallstone disease are at a higher risk of gallbladder cancer.

Gallstones Treatment Options

While smaller gallstones pass through the digestive tract & are expelled from the body during bowel movements, larger gallbladder stones that cause frequent gallstone pain & cause other symptoms to manifest in a patient, warrant proactive treatment.

Gallbladder Stone Removal

There are several medical treatment options that focus on gallbladder stone removal from the biliary tract. These include:

• Dissolution: Doctors may use Ursodeoxycholic acid to dissolve cholesterol gallstones. This treatment may take upto 24 hours to work. It is not  effective as gallstone surgery. 

• ERCP: Patients in whom Gall stones block the bile duct & pancreatic duct causing complications are treated using an endoscope to reach the bile duct.  This procedure is known as Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP) & is normally done under sedation. 

• Lithotripsy: In lithotripsy, ultrasonic shock waves are directed towards gallstones to break them down, easing their passage through the bile duct. This is not effective & associated with complications 

Gallbladder Removal

In cases where the gallbladder has become inflamed, doctors decide to remove the gallbladder altogether through either of the following, depending on the severity of gallbladder inflammation:

• Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: A small incision is made in your belly & a laparoscope, which holds medical instruments, a light, & a camera, is passed through. The gallbladder is then removed through another incision. It’s the best treatment option.

         How long does laparoscopic surgery take? 
         1 to 2 hours. The patient is usually discharged in one day.

• Open Cholecystectomy: In cases where the gallbladder is highly inflamed & associated with severe complications, an open surgery is carried out. A larger incision is made this time & the recovery time for patients that undergo an open cholecystectomy is substantially longer. 

In the aftermath of gallbladder removal patients may experience diarrhea/abdominal bloating for few days 

Foods you can eat after Gallbladder Removal

• High-fiber foods
• Low-fat foods
• Avoid fried & creamy food items
• Avoid full-fat dairy foods

Gallstone Prevention 

Gallstones can be prevented by making the following lifestyle changes:

• Maintaining a high-fiber, low-fat, low-cholesterol diet
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Reducing weight gradually
• Regular exercise
• Females should avoid hormonal contraceptives unless needed
• Taking nutritional supplements

To understand more about the symptoms, causes, treatment & prevention of gallbladder stones get in touch with us.