Gallbladder stones have become really common these days but this news doing rounds on the internet that a Dum Dum resident came for a general surgery at Medical College and Hospital (MCH) where the 10000 stones from his hall bladder were extracted. According to reports by TOI the 40-year-old nutritionist complained of abdomen pain for reportedly one and a half month. Reportedly, this is the second time such a case is reported wherein so many gallbladder stones were found. Last month another such case came from Fortis Hospital Shalimarbagh wherein 856 Kidney Stones removed through Minimally Invasive Surgery in 45-year-old Male.

What are gallstones?

Your gallbladder that holds the digestives juices called the bile to release in your small intestines. When there are some hardened deposits of the digestive fluid begin to block the gallbladder, you are said to have a gallstone. According to a study, the evaluates Gallstone the current information risk factors, investigations, and treatment of gallstones, 'Gallstones are hardened deposits of the digestive fluid bile, that can form within the gallbladder. They vary in size and shape from as small as a grain of sand to as large as a golf ball. Gallstones occur when there is an imbalance in the chemical constituents of bile that result in precipitation of one or more of the components.'

Signs and Symptoms That You Have Gallstone

How are the gallbladder stones formed?

Formed due to excessive bile, gallbladder stones take time to form. A study describes, 'Gallstones are usually formed from bile that is in stasis. When bile is not fully emptied from the gallbladder, it can precipitate as sludge and subsequently turn into stones. Biliary obstruction may also lead to gallstones including bile duct strictures and cancers, such as pancreatic cancer.'

Types of gallstones

The gallstones are broadly classified into two types. One being the Cholesterol stones yellowish-green in colour and are very common kind. About 80 per cent of the gallstones is Cholesterol stones. The second, however, is the pigment stones that are not very common and are smaller and darker in appearance, made up of bilirubin, which comes from bile. According to a study, gallstones are divided into four types. Here's what the study says, 'The most common cause of cholelithiasis is from the precipitation of cholesterol that subsequently forms into cholesterol stones. The second form of gallstones is pigmented gallstones which are the result of increased red blood cell destruction in the intravascular system causing increased concentrations of bilirubin which subsequently get stored in the bile. These stones are typically black. The third type of gallstones is mixed pigmented stones which are a combination of calcium substrates such as calcium carbonate or calcium phosphate, cholesterol and bile. The fourth type is made up primarily of calcium and usually found in patients with hypercalcemia. Concurrent findings include kidney stones.'

With the increased number of cases, treatment options available have also increased. depending on the type of gallstone there are various surgical and on-surgical options available. Regarding the treatment of gallstones, a study says, 'Cholecystectomy treats symptomatic gallstones. The laparoscopic approach is the standard of care today. Open cholecystectomies are also done when it is not practical or advisable to do a laparoscopic procedure. It is not wise to simply remove the gallstones as studies have shown that they recur after about one year.' It further says, 'Common bile duct stones can be removed with a preoperative or postoperative ERCP, PTHC or operatively with a common bile duct exploration. Ascending cholangitis needs to be addressed urgently by removing the blockage either with ERCP, PTHC, or surgery, as well as early antibiotic administration. In cases of nonacute cholecystitis and very poor surgical candidates, gallstones can be treated medically.'

 

(References:  Gallstones by Gabriel E Njeze/ Gallstones by Grant Sanders / Gallbladder, Gallstones (Calculi) Mark W. Jones; Sassan Ghassemzadeh)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 31, 2018 02:20 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).