Gal bladder stones can mimic gastritis

What is gall bladder and where it is located?

Gall bladder is a gland located just below the liver in the upper right half of abdomen. This gall bladder helps in storing digestive Juices (Bile).

What are gall bladder stones and why are they formed?

Stones formed in the gall bladder are called gall stones. This stones are formed when the bile juice concentration and composition changes from normal status. This stones can be single or multiple. This stones can be made of cholesterol, calcium, and bile pigments etc.

Who are more prone for developing gall stones?

There are various factors which results in gall stone formation like obesity, diabetes, jaundice, female sex, post pregnancy, hyper lipidemia etc. Sometimes infections with in gallbladder can cause stone formation.

Should every one with gall stones require treatment?

Every one having gall stones should not require treatment. Only people with symptomatic gall stones need treatment.

What are the symptoms caused by gall stones?

Most of the gall stones are asymptomatic. But few of them have symptoms like (Epigastric pain) upper abdominal pain, blotting regurgitation of food, abdominal discomfort below the ribs intermittent pain in the Upper and right side of abdomen.

What are the complications of gall stones?

Few of the gall stones can cause complications in few people like cholecystitis (infection in gall bladder), pus in gall bladder, jaundice, and pancreatitis. Very rarely this stones lead gall bladder cancer. The above mentioned complications have low instance as per percentages but in view of high prevalence of this stones the number of people developing complications are high.

What is the treatment for gall stones?

The gold standard and accepted treatment for gall stones is cholecystectomy (removal of gall bladder) . Even though certain drugs like ursodioxycholic acid are being used, this is not evidence that they dissolve the gall stones.

What is a laparoscopic cholecystectomy and what advantage does it have over the open surgery?

Laparoscopic surgery is a procedure where we use a Small button size holes on the abdomen and perform this surgery and remove the gall bladder in a open surgery a very big cut is made on the abdomen approximately measuring 30 cm. Laparoscopic surgery provides less pain, less infections, less scar, early mobilization, early discharge from hospital quicker to work and cost effective.

Will there be any side effects for removing gall bladder?

There are no significant side effects or after effects after removing gall bladder. The digestion won't be hampered.

Are complications of Gallbladder stones so serious?

Gall stones can cause various complications of which few are life threatening when delayed in identifications like pus in the gallbladder, perforation in gallbladder, cancer formation, sever acute pancreatitis. The above mentioned complications can lead to prolonged hospital stay, repeated procedures, surgical complications and also post operative morbidity.

(RAMESH SANGHAMITRA HOSPITALS, Dr Karthik Babu Perumalla MBBS, DNB (General Surgery), FMAS, FALS-HPB, FIAGES, EFIAGES, FALS - Bariatric surgery, Fellowship in Laparoscopic Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, Bariatric surgery and Therapeutic Endoscopy, FALS - Robotic Surgery, Consultant - Department of General Surgery and Surgical Gastroenterology, 08592286777 [email protected], www.drkarthikbabuperumalla.com, Sanghamitra Hospital, NH5, Near South Bypass Junction, Ongole , www.sanghamitrahospitals.com)