Gallstones are deposits of bile which harden in the gallbladder. Treatment methods for treating gallstones vary, depending on symptoms, type of gallstones, and their location.
Until now, the cause of the formation of gallstones is unknown, but there are several factors that make a person at risk of suffering from gallstones. Women, especially pregnant women, have more gallstones than men. In addition, obesity also increases the risk of gallstones.
The amount of gallstones that a patient has varies, it can be only one, it can also be several fruits. The size also varies, ranging from as small as a grain of sand to the size of a golf ball.
What are the Symptoms of Gallstones?
Gallstones initially do not cause signs or symptoms. However, if gallstones shift into the bile ducts and cause blockages, the patient will feel pain in the stomach. The characteristics of abdominal pain caused by gallstones are:
- Pain in the upper right abdomen and solar plexus, which appears suddenly and gets worse quickly.
- Pain radiates to the back between the shoulder blade and the right shoulder.
- Pain can be so severe that the sufferer cannot sit still or find a comfortable position.
Aside from abdominal pain, other symptoms that can also occur are:
- Fever
- Shivering
- Nausea and vomiting
- Jaundice
If you experience these symptoms, consult your doctor immediately. The doctor will perform various examinations, such as abdominal ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, or ERCP, to see the presence of gallstones. Blood tests can also be done to see complications arising from gallstone disease.
When is gallstones surgery needed?
Treatment for gallstone disease will be adjusted to the patient's condition. For gallstone disease that does not cause symptoms, there is often no need for surgical removal of the gallbladder.
Only one third of all sufferers of gallstone disease without symptoms eventually need surgery. This shows that gallstones actually do not need to worry if it does not cause complaints or symptoms.
Surgery is carried out if gallstone disease has caused symptoms. The procedure taken by the surgeon during surgery is removal of the gallbladder. Doctors can perform surgical removal of the gallbladder by laparoscopy, or by open surgery, which is through an incision in the abdominal wall.
The removal of the gallbladder does not affect a person's ability to digest food, but can sometimes cause diarrhea.
Treatment of Gallstones Apart from Surgery
In addition to surgery, gallstones can also be overcome by:
Ursodeoxicolic acid drug
Ursodeoksikolat acid drugs can help dissolve gallstones, but it takes several months and must be monitored every month. However, the drug ursodeoksikolat acid has several drawbacks, which can only overcome the small size stones and stones formed from cholesterol. In addition, gallstones can also recur.
Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL)
ESWL is a treatment with shock waves to break down gallstones. The disadvantage of this method is that it is only effective for single gallstones whose diameter is less than 2 cm. In addition, the effectiveness of ESWL in destroying gallstones is also not entirely clear, so doctors usually prefer surgery.
In conclusion, when gallstones cause symptoms, the treatment option is surgical removal of the gallbladder. There are alternative treatments with ESWL drugs and actions, but keep in mind that gallstones can reappear if the gallbladder is not removed.
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