Gallstones are becoming more and more common in people's daily lives. Due to irregular dietary habits, the gallbladder bile is filled and cannot be expelled. Over time, it will thicken and form stones, which is the process of gallstones. Gallstones are a common biliary disease, which are solid stones formed by the deposition of cholesterol, bilirubin, or calcium salts in the bile of the gallbladder. The presence of gallstones may lead to cholecystitis, gallbladder wall rupture, and other serious complications, therefore, timely treatment measures are very important. Surgical therapy is one of the most common and effective methods in the treatment of gallstones. Surgery can be performed in different ways, and the specific choice depends on the patient's condition and the doctor's advice. Here are some common surgical treatments for gallstones:
1. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a minimally invasive surgery performed through a small abdominal incision and is widely used for the treatment of gallstones. During the surgery, doctors will use laparoscopy and other necessary instruments to observe and remove the gallbladder and stones. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has many advantages over traditional open surgery, such as smaller surgical incision, less trauma, and relatively less postoperative pain; Laparoscopic surgery can provide a clearer view, allowing doctors to observe and operate more accurately. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy usually requires patients to make some preparations before the surgery. Conduct some physical examinations.
2. Open cholecystectomy: Open cholecystectomy is a traditional surgical method suitable for patients with large gallstones and complex conditions. Open cholecystectomy has some advantages and indications compared to laparoscopic surgery. Open surgery can provide greater operating space, allowing doctors to handle gallstones more comprehensively. This is particularly important for patients with larger stones, severe inflammation, or comorbidities. However, open cholecystectomy involves significant trauma, severe postoperative pain, and a longer recovery time.
3. Endoscopic stone removal for gallstones: Endoscopic stone removal for gallstones is a method of removing stones from the biliary tract through endoscopy, which is a relatively safe and painless treatment method and is favored by patients. The specific analysis is as follows: Doctors use endoscopy to examine the biliary tract and use some instruments to remove stones. This surgery is usually performed under general anesthesia. The doctor inserts a soft tube into the patient's mouth or nasal cavity and advances it along the digestive tract, eventually entering the biliary tract. Then, the doctor uses a probe to examine the biliary tract and uses various surgical instruments to remove the stones. The advantage is that the hospitalization time is relatively short, usually only requiring one to two days of hospitalization; The surgical risk is low, the postoperative recovery is fast, and normal work and life can usually be resumed within about a week. However, endoscopic stone removal also has some limitations and cannot handle large or excessive stones, requiring other treatment methods.
4. Percutaneous gallbladder puncture lithotripsy: This method uses a cystoscope to immediately remove the stones in the patient's gallbladder, preserving the beneficial and well functioning gallbladder for the human body. This surgery is performed under epidural anesthesia or general anesthesia, and only requires a small incision of 1.5cm-2.0cm in the patient's upper right abdomen to enter the abdomen. The gallbladder is located and treated with a cystoscope, and special instruments or ultrasound are used to remove the stones in one go. It truly has the advantages of light trauma, minimal pain, fast recovery, and good therapeutic effect. It is popular among patients for removing stones while preserving the gallbladder. The main indication is for those with good gallbladder contraction and concentration function and no acute inflammation of the gallbladder. Non atrophic cholecystitis and non acute inflammatory phase that are difficult for elderly and weak individuals to tolerate cholecystectomy are also indications. For non visualized gallbladder, if acute inflammation of the gallbladder can be ruled out, or if vomiting or diarrhea caused by contrast agent loss leads to non visualization of the gallbladder, or if the gallbladder is filled with stones but its size and shape are normal, this procedure can also be used. Individuals with a history of upper abdominal surgery or gallbladder located on the rib margin are not contraindications for this method. Gallbladder sediment like stones. In addition, this method can be considered for the exclusion of intrahepatic and extrahepatic gallstones through V cholangiography. If the thickness of the gallbladder wall is ≥ 0.5cm or the length of the gallbladder is<4.5cm (i.e. atrophic cholecystitis) during the non acute inflammatory phase, this method should not be used regardless of the position, and cholecystectomy should be performed instead.
5. Cholecystostomy: Cholecystostomy is a surgical method used to treat patients with severe gallbladder disease or those who cannot undergo traditional cholecystectomy. This surgical method is often seen as a last resort for treating extreme cases and requires long-term treatment. There are two common types of this surgical method: 1. Surgical cholecystostomy: Doctors perform surgery in the abdomen, connecting the gallbladder to the abdominal wall and placing a drainage tube in the abdomen. Through this connection, bile can be directly discharged from the gallbladder; 2. Endoscopic cholecystectomy: This is a relatively novel method of cholecystectomy. Doctors use an endoscope to create a passage in the stomach or small intestine that connects to the gallbladder. Through this channel, bile can be directly discharged into the digestive system, avoiding the presence of external drainage.
Overall, surgical therapy is one of the main methods for treating gallstones. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the most common and popular surgical method, but for some special cases, open cholecystectomy or endoscopic stone removal may be more suitable.