The gallbladder is a small pear-shaped organ situated under liver which concentrates and releases bile juice. Liver creates the bile juice that is important for the food digestion, and it is the responsibility of gallbladder to store and provide it.
Sometimes small stones are also known as gallstones that takes birth in the bladder and causes pain to the patient. The gallstones are either removed with the help of medication or gallbladder surgery to cure further problems.
What are gallstones?
Gallstones are very small stone shaped material that formed inside gallbladder or bile ducts. The size of the stone may differ from a tiny stone to a golf ball depending upon the pain it’s causing to the patient. Sometimes the patient does not need any treatment to remove the stones or can get rid of it with the help of medication. However, in case of severe gallstone conditions they Gallbladder surgery needs to be performed.
How do gallstones form?
There two types of gallstones that can found in patients including pigments stones and cholesterol stones. The pigment stones are usually found among the patients having medical conditions, such as cirrhosis of the liver or blood disorders. On the other hand, the cholesterol stones are formed due to excess amount of cholesterol in the bile.
Who are at risk of Gallstones?
The gallstones can be found in people with below conditions
- People having age more 40 years
- People having a family history of gallstones
- People having diabetes
- People dealing with the obesity issue.
- People having a diet with high fat and cholesterol
Symptoms of Gallstones
In many cases, the patient doesn’t even know about the gallstones as there are no symptoms. These stones are also known as the silent stones. On the other hand, the patient will feel the pain that could last from few minutes to few hours. In gallstone situation, the pain takes place when a stone migrates from gallbladder to any bile duct. The migration causes severe issues to the organs depending upon the duct it moving towards. Gallstone migration can cause the medical conditions like acute cholecystitis (inflammation of the gallbladder), cholangitis (infection and inflammation of the bile ducts), and pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas). The pain is most commonly experienced in the upper part of the abdomen, and the other symptoms of the gallstones are Vomiting, Sweating, Fever, and yellow tint in the skin.
Types of Gallbladder surgery
There are two types of surgery that are generally performed by doctors.
Open surgery
In case of severe gallbladder disease or bleeding disorder you need to have the open surgery. In this procedure, the surgeon will make a 5-7 inch long incision in your stomach and pull out the gallbladder to remove the gallstones.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy
This procedure is also known as the keyhole surgery among the surgeons. In this type of surgery, the surgeon makes four small holes in your abdominal instead of one. In these holes the doctor inserts the tubes having a light and tiny video camera. Afterward, the surgeon performs the extraction of the stones using different tools.
Do you need gallbladder surgery?
If your gallstones don’t cause you pain, then you don’t need to have a surgery it is totally safe. But, in case you are feeling constant pain then you should see the doctor for surgery. If your gallstone moves to any bile duct or blocks it, then you need immediate surgery to avoid other damages.