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Check with your doctor if you have sharp, crampy pain in the upper right abdomen.
GALLBLADDER DISEASE
Gallbladder disease is usually secondary to gallstones. The incidence of gallstones in the U.S. population is approximately 10 percent and increases with age. Gallstones are also more prevalent in females. Fortunately, many people with gallstones will never go on to develop gallbladder disease. Gallbladder disease developing in the absence of stones is the result of abnormal emptying and is labeled biliary dyskinesia.
SYMPTOMS
Most individuals with gallbladder disease will have symptoms; however, they may sometimes be very subtle. Classically, patients will have sharp crampy pain in the upper right abdomen. The pain may also travel into the right back and shoulder. Often the pain is associated with nausea and vomiting and may be relieved with belching or throwing up. These episodes of pain may be precipitated by food, especially if it is greasy, spicy or fatty. The pain is caused by a stone blocking the cystic duct, which is the duct that carries the bile from the gallbladder to the common bile duct (CBD). Sometimes a stone may even travel into the CBD, and if it causes a blockage at this location, jaundice — yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes — will likely develop. The CBD travels through the pancreas before emptying into the intestine, so if a stone is completely passed it may cause pancreatitis, inflammation of the pancreas. The symptoms of pancreatitis are usually severe upper abdominal and/or midback pain with nausea and vomiting.
The development of fever, jaundice, or pancreatitis with a gallbladder attack is serious, and a physician should be notified promptly.
TREATMENT
The only cure for gallbladder disease is to surgically remove it and the stones. Both techniques used are done under general anesthesia.
- Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: This is how most gallbladders are removed 95 percent of the time. With this technique a video camera and special instruments are inserted through several small incisions. The largest incision is at the umbilicus, about one inch in length, and where the camera is inserted. The other smaller incisions are usually located under the right ribs. For elective cases the patient is usually discharged home the same day. Five percent of the time the surgeon may determine that it is unsafe or technically unfeasible to proceed laparoscopically, so an open cholecystectomy will be performed.
- Open Cholecystectomy: This refers to removing the gallbladder through a larger incision without the use of the video camera. The incision is usually several inches in length and located under the right ribs. This is associated with more discomfort and usually requires a 3-to-5 day stay in the hospital.
Article provided by Hilton Head Hospital.
