Gallbladder Stone Specialist in Surat - Dr. Nitin Mittal
Overview
Gallstones
Gallstones are hardened deposits of digestive fluid that can form in your gallbladder. Your gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of your abdomen, just beneath your liver. The gallbladder holds a digestive fluid called bile that’s released into your small intestine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSeaLgF4KQQ
Gallstones range in size from as small as a grain of sand to as large as a golf ball. Some people develop just one gallstone, while others develop many gallstones at the same time.
People who experience symptoms from their gallstones require gallbladder removal surgery(cholecystectomy). Gallstones that don’t cause any signs and symptoms typically don’t need treatment.
Some patients with gallstones but without any symptoms also require gallbladder removal, like
- Patient is Immunocompromised
- Patients awaiting organ allotransplantation
- Patient with Sickle cell disease
- Before or during bariatric surgery
- Calculi >3 cm in diameter as they have 10% risk of developing gall bladder cancer
- Non-functioning gallbladder
- Calcified (porcelain) gallbladder
- Gallbladder polyp >10 mm or showing rapid increase in size are prone for developing gall bladder cancer
- Patient with diabetes mellitus specially if their diabetes is uncontrolled as they can develop gall bladder gangrene which is life threatening condition
- Gallbladder trauma or perforation
- Anomalous junction of the pancreatic and biliary ducts
- Patients with morbid obesity
Symptoms
Sudden and rapidly intensifying pain in the upper right portion of your abdomen
Sudden and rapidly intensifying pain in the centre of your abdomen, just below your breastbone
Back pain between your shoulder blades
Pain in your right shoulder
Nausea or vomiting
When to see a doctor
Seek immediate care if you develop signs and symptoms of a serious gallstone complication, such as:
Abdominal pain so intense that you can’t sit still or find a comfortable position
Yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes
High fever with chills
Types of gallstones
Types of gallstones that can form in the gallbladder include:
- Cholesterol gallstones.The most common type of gallstone, called a cholesterol gallstone, often appears yellow in colour. These gallstones are composed mainly of undissolved cholesterol, but may contain other components.
- Pigment gallstones.These dark brown or black stones form when your bile contains too much bilirubin.
Causes
- Your bile contains too much cholesterol.Normally, your bile contains enough chemicals to dissolve the cholesterol excreted by your liver. But if your liver excretes more cholesterol than your bile can dissolve, the excess cholesterol may form into crystals and eventually into stones.
- Your bile contains too much bilirubin.Bilirubin is a chemical that’s produced when your body breaks down red blood cells. Certain conditions cause your liver to make too much bilirubin, including liver cirrhosis, biliary tract infections and certain blood disorders. The excess bilirubin contributes to gallstone formation.
- Your gallbladder doesn’t empty correctly.If your gallbladder doesn’t empty completely or often enough, bile may become very concentrated, contributing to the formation of gallstones.
Risk factors
Being female
Being age 40 or older
Being a Native American
Being a Mexican-American
Being overweight or obese
Being sedentary
Being pregnant
Eating a high-fat diet
Eating a high-cholesterol diet
Eating a low-fiber diet
Having a family history of gallstones
Having diabetes
Losing weight very quickly
Taking medications that contain estrogen, such as oral contraceptives or hormone therapy drugs
Having liver disease
Complications
- Inflammation of the gallbladder.A gallstone that becomes lodged in the neck of the gallbladder can cause inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis). Cholecystitis can cause severe pain and fever.
- Blockage of the common bile duct.Gallstones can block the tubes (ducts) through which bile flows from your gallbladder or liver to your small intestine. Jaundice and bile duct infection can result.
- Blockage of the pancreatic duct.The pancreatic duct is a tube that runs from the pancreas to the common bile duct. Pancreatic juices, which aid in digestion, flow through the pancreatic duct.
A gallstone can cause a blockage in the pancreatic duct, which can lead to inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). Pancreatitis causes intense, constant abdominal pain and usually requires hospitalization.
- Gallbladder cancer.People with a history of gallstones have an increased risk of gallbladder cancer. But gallbladder cancer is very rare, so even though the risk of cancer is elevated, the likelihood of gallbladder cancer is still very small. People with gallstone of more than 3 cm are more prone to develop gall bladder cancer.
Prevention
- Don’t skip meals.Try to stick to your usual mealtimes each day. Skipping meals or fasting can increase the risk of gallstones.
- Lose weight slowly.If you need to lose weight, go slow. Rapid weight loss can increase the risk of gallstones. Aim to lose about 0.5 to 1 kilogram a week.
- Maintain a healthy weight.Obesity and being overweight increase the risk of gallstones. Work to achieve a healthy weight by reducing the number of calories you eat and increasing the amount of physical activity you get. Once you achieve a healthy weight, work to maintain that weight by continuing your healthy diet and continuing to exercise.
Diagnosis
Tests and procedures used to diagnose gallstones include:
- Tests to create pictures of your gallbladder. Your doctor may recommend an abdominal ultrasound and a computerized tomography (CT) scan to create pictures of your gallbladder. These images can be analysed to look for signs of gallstones.
- Tests to check your bile ducts for gallstones.A test that uses a special dye to highlight your bile ducts on images may help your doctor determine whether a gallstone is causing a blockage.
Tests may include a hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) -Magnetic Resonance Cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). Gallstones discovered using ERCP can be removed during the procedure.
- Blood tests to look for complications.Blood tests may reveal an infection, jaundice, pancreatitis or other complications caused by gallstones.
Treatment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffoKThdqo4I
Most people with gallstones that don’t cause symptoms will never need treatment. Your doctor will determine if treatment for gallstones is indicated based on your symptoms and the results of diagnostic testing.
Your doctor may recommend you be alert for symptoms of gallstone complications, such as intensifying pain in your upper right abdomen. If gallstone signs and symptoms occur in the future, you can have treatment.
Treatment options for gallstones include:
- Surgery to remove the gallbladder (cholecystectomy).Your doctor may recommend surgery to remove your gallbladder, since gallstones frequently recur. Once your gallbladder is removed, bile flows directly from your liver into your small intestine, rather than being stored in your gallbladder.
You don’t need your gallbladder to live, and gallbladder removal doesn’t affect your ability to digest food.
- Medications to dissolve gallstones.Medications you take by mouth may help dissolve gallstones. But it may take months or years of treatment to dissolve your gallstones in this way and gallstones will likely form again if treatment is stopped.
Sometimes medications don’t work. Medications for gallstones aren’t commonly used and are reserved for people who can’t undergo surgery.
Often, gallbladder problems are cured by removing the gallbladder.
Dr. Nitin Mittal uses minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery to remove the gallbladder, making several small incisions in the upper part of your abdomen instead of one large incision. Because the surgery is minimally invasive, you can expect to go home within 24 to 48 hours after your surgery.
Preparing for your appointment
Because appointments can be brief, and because there’s often a lot of information to cover, it’s a good idea to be well-prepared. Here’s some information to help you get ready, and what to expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions.At the time you make the appointment, be sure to ask if there’s anything you need to do in advance, such as restrict your diet.
- Write down any symptoms you’re experiencing,including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
- Write down key personal information,including any major stresses or recent life changes.
- Make a list of all medications,vitamins or supplements that you’re taking.
- Take a family member or friend along.Sometimes it can be difficult to understand all the information provided during an appointment. Someone who accompanies you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
- Write down questions to askyour doctor.
Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions will help you make the most of your appointment. For gallstones, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- Are gallstones the likely cause of my abdominal pain?
- Is there a chance that my symptoms are due to something other than gallstones?
- What kinds of tests do I need?
- Is there a chance that my gallstones will go away without treatment?
- Do I need gallbladder removal surgery?
- What are the risks of surgery?
- How long does it take to recover from gallbladder surgery?
- Are there other treatment options for gallstones?
- I have these other health conditions. How can I best manage them together?
- Are there brochures or other printed material that I can take with me? What websites do you recommend?
What to expect from your doctor
- When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
- Are your symptoms related to eating?
- Have your symptoms ever included a fever?
- Have your symptoms been continuous or occasional?
- How severe are your symptoms?
- How long do your symptoms last?
- What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
- What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
