With the continuous changes in people's lifestyles, many people are unaware that they have been infected with diseases when they occur. But once infected, it can cause serious harm to one's life and body. Gallstones are still quite common in daily life, so what are gallstones? What are the symptoms of gallstones? What are the surgical methods for removing gallstones? Let's take a look together below.
What is gallstones?
Gallstones, which occur in the biliary tract, are mostly caused by improper diet. After the formation of gallstones, it can stimulate the gallbladder mucosa, leading to acute inflammation of the gallbladder.
What are the symptoms of gallstones?
1. Asymptomatic gallstones
This type of gallbladder stone, also known as quiescent gallstones, accounts for a high proportion of all gallbladder stone patients. Patients do not experience biliary colic, and it is difficult for them to consciously detect the disease. Generally, it is only discovered during physical examinations, surgeries, and other situations. The stone does not move or become trapped, and patients generally have no symptoms and may not discover the disease in their lifetime. Some patients may experience stomach discomfort symptoms after eating greasy food, such as upper abdominal pain, bloating, belching, etc., which can easily be mistaken for hepatitis or gastritis. During a physical examination of the patient, there may be mild pressure pain in the upper right abdomen. If the patient has hydrocephalus in the gallbladder, stones can be felt.
2. Pain
Abdominal pain is the most common symptom of gallstones, and the specific location of pain is around the bottom rib on the right side of the upper abdomen or right upper abdomen. The reason is that the stones move from the gallbladder cavity to the cystic duct, causing stone entrapment. As the condition worsens, the pain will spread to the shoulders and back.
3. Nausea and vomiting
After experiencing abdominal pain, patients with gallstones will also experience symptoms of nausea and vomiting, and the symptoms of abdominal pain will not be significantly relieved after vomiting. Usually, there may be frequent occurrences of anorexia, decreased appetite, and indigestion.
4. Jaundice
This condition is relatively rare and usually occurs when a stone falls into the common bile duct or is embedded in the neck of the gallbladder. This stone can compress the common bile duct, causing obstructive jaundice. It usually occurs after severe abdominal pain, and the patient's jaundice symptoms are relatively mild, with skin and mucosal jaundice.
5. Fever and chills
Patients with severe gallstones may experience fever, chills, and other symptoms. The degree of temperature is directly related to the severity of the patient's condition. When the patient's temperature cannot be lowered for a long time, they will experience chills.
When gallstones are detected in the body, "what to do" is a concern for many people, and "whether to cut or not" is a question that many people hesitate about. Generally speaking, if there are no symptoms or discomfort, regular observation can be adopted, and gallbladder ultrasound can be performed every six months or one year. If inflammation has already occurred, medication should be used to control it. If necessary, follow the doctor's advice to choose an appropriate surgical method for surgical resection to avoid worsening of the condition.
What are the methods for surgical removal of gallstones?
1. Open cholecystectomy
This most traditional gallbladder surgery method still has a certain range of applications. For example, if the preoperative diagnosis is unclear, if there are serious complications such as gallbladder duodenal fistula or gallbladder colon fistula, if other related surgeries need to be performed, or if laparoscopic exploration reveals that minimally invasive surgery cannot be performed, etc. The surgery is performed through an abdominal incision, usually taking a right intercostal incision into the abdomen. Due to the large incision size, open surgery may also lead to incision related complications such as hernia, infection, and rupture.
2. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy
This is currently the most accurate and effective method for treating gallstones, and is the standard surgical procedure for treating gallstones. If conditions permit, laparoscopic surgery is preferred. The disadvantage is that the physiological function of the gallbladder is completely lost, and complications such as bile duct injury, gallbladder postoperative syndrome, papillary sphincter dysfunction, and bile reflux gastritis may occur.
2. Gallbladder stone preservation surgery
The method of surgically removing stones from the gallbladder while preserving the gallbladder. The advantage is that it preserves the function of the gallbladder. However, due to the unchanged internal environment in which gallstones occur, the disadvantage is that there is a possibility of stone recurrence after surgery.
We now know what gallstones are. In daily life, we should take good care of our bodies, pay attention to our diet and lifestyle habits, eat less greasy food, and seek treatment as soon as gallstones appear.