Gall Stone Disease- Causes and Treatment

Found below the liver, the gall bladder is an important organ that helps to store the bile secreted by the liver. Bile is a juice which aids in digestion and it contains several pigments, salts etc. The condition when stones are present in the gall bladder is called by the name Cholelithiasis.

There are several causes for the formation of gall stones namely a high cholesterol diet, estrogen imbalance, obesity, lack of melatonin pigment, genetic factors etc. Those who are above the age of forty years and are obese are prone to develop this condition.

Nausea, vomiting, severe abdominal pain, jaundice etc are some of the most common symptoms that accompany the formation of gall stones.

The presence of gall stones can be found through abdominal ultrasonography which is a fairly simple procedure. Gall stones can be treated with the help of UDCA (Ursodeoxycholic acid) but it may not be successful on everyone and helps only in some cases. Gall stones can be treated with the help of surgery which is the best method to get relief from this problem. Gall stones can be removed through laparoscopic surgery or open surgery.

Cholecystectomy is the most common treatment for gallstones in the gallbladder. A large incision may be done on the abdomen laparoscopically by making small punctures on the wall of the abdomen. Faster recovery and lesser pain are the advantages of laparoscopic surgery. Cholecystectomy may sometimes lead to complications such as leakage of bile and bile duct damage occasionally.

General anesthesia is also needed for both these procedures which have its own risk. Generally no diet change is prescribed following the surgery and patients can follow an active lifestyle as before. Even digestion does not get affected due to surgery. In a minor percentage of patients, chronic diarrhea may be an after effect of surgery. Oral medication may also be prescribed to treat the condition of gall stones. But this treatment would work only for smaller cholesterol type gall stones and not pigment gall stones. Gall stones may also be treated through shockwaves which is fairly an uncommon method of treatment.