Treatments for gallstones
October 19, 2009 by
Filed under Gall Bladder Symptoms
Gallbladder disease is not uncommon amongst the adults, especially the women. It includes inflammation, infection, stones or obstruction to the outflow of bile from the gallbladder.
The most common gallbladder disease is gall stones. More than 20 million Americans have gall stones. Cholesterol gallstones are the commonest type of gallstones found. It amounts to 80% of gallstones in individuals in Europe and America. A diet rich in fiber and low in fat is the keystone to prevention of gallbladder disease.
Treatment of gallbladder disease will depend on the type of disease. There are various options available ranging from simple non-surgical measures to surgical removal of the gallbladder.
A wait and see’ approach is sometimes used to treat gallstones when there are no symptoms.
Severe abdominal pain associated with gallbladder disease is usually treated in the hospital. Pain killers are prescribed depending on the type of disease and the results of tests done. The pain killers may be given in the form of pills or intravenous injections.
Presence of an infection will put the sufferer on antibiotics to clear the infection in addition to the pain killers.
Gallstones are to be removed if causing symptoms. The method of removal will again depend on the type, size and number of stones present.
Lithotripsy is a stone-breaking technique used to treat solitary gallstones less than 2mm in size. It is a non invasive procedure but could be done on only a few people because larger stones cannot be destroyed using this technique.
Surgery to remove the gallbladder is advised when there is acute inflammation of the gallbladder. It could be due to an infection or due to gallstones.
Gallbladder removal surgery is now most commonly done through a laparoscope. In this method of surgery, a laparoscope is passed through small incisions made on the abdomen and the gallbladder along with its stones is removed trough the instrument. It is a less invasive method compared to the open surgery.
For some of those who are unwilling to undergo surgery, or who have other medical problems which may increase the risk for surgery, drug treatment for gallstones is available. The disadvantage of this mode of treatment is the high recurrence rate.
Although a number of treatment options are there, the type of treatment for an individual will be decided by the treating doctor.
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