What will happen if gallstones worsen?

Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
Updated on September 22, 2024
00:00
00:00

For patients with gallstones, if exacerbation occurs, they will exhibit significant pain in the upper right abdomen, and may even experience radiating pain in the right shoulder, scapular area, and back, severely affecting the quality of life. Some patients may also experience nausea, vomiting, and abdominal distension among other gastrointestinal symptoms. Thus, patients with these symptoms should undergo surgery as soon as possible.

The primary treatment for gallstones is laparoscopic cholecystectomy, as it has the advantages of a small incision, minimal injury, and faster recovery, making it often the first choice in clinical settings. Additionally, it is still necessary for postoperative patients to avoid spicy and irritating foods to reduce inflammation and better facilitate recovery from the condition.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
49sec home-news-image

What will happen if gallstones worsen?

For patients with gallstones, if exacerbation occurs, they will exhibit significant pain in the upper right abdomen, and may even experience radiating pain in the right shoulder, scapular area, and back, severely affecting the quality of life. Some patients may also experience nausea, vomiting, and abdominal distension among other gastrointestinal symptoms. Thus, patients with these symptoms should undergo surgery as soon as possible. The primary treatment for gallstones is laparoscopic cholecystectomy, as it has the advantages of a small incision, minimal injury, and faster recovery, making it often the first choice in clinical settings. Additionally, it is still necessary for postoperative patients to avoid spicy and irritating foods to reduce inflammation and better facilitate recovery from the condition.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
50sec home-news-image

How to treat gallstones?

For the treatment of gallbladder stones, the approach mainly depends on whether there are symptoms or not. For patients with asymptomatic gallstones, which are relatively small in size, they are often found during ultrasonography and do not require special treatment. Regular follow-up ultrasonography is conducted to dynamically observe changes in size. Of course, diet should also avoid spicy and stimulating foods to reduce inflammatory stimulation and avoid foods high in cholesterol and fats, focusing on a light diet, which can alleviate symptom flare-ups and control the condition. For patients with larger gallstones who often experience discomfort and pain in the upper right abdomen, early surgical treatment should be pursued, as surgery is the only way to achieve a cure and can significantly improve the patient's quality of life.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhang Tao
Hepatobiliary Surgery
1min 9sec home-news-image

How many days are needed for minimally invasive gallbladder stone surgery?

Gallbladder stones clinically often require surgical treatment. There are two types of minimally invasive surgery for gallbladder stones. The first type is laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and the other type is laparoscopic gallbladder-preserving stone removal. If the patient undergoes minimally invasive gallbladder-preserving stone removal, they can generally move around within three to five hours after surgery, resume a liquid diet after half a day, be discharged three days postoperatively, and fully recover within a week without affecting their normal life and work. If the patient undergoes a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and if they are relatively young, it is recommended that they can resume eating on the evening of the surgery, get out of bed the next day, and be discharged within two to three days. Even in some large clinical medical centers, the cholecystectomy can be performed as a day surgery, where the patient may be admitted in the morning, undergo surgery in the afternoon, and handle discharge procedures after completing post-surgery intravenous fluid therapy in the evening.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Liu Wu Cai
Hepatobiliary Surgery
46sec home-news-image

Is it normal to feel nauseous with gallstones?

Patients with gallstones experiencing nausea and vomiting is normal, as gallstones often cause acute cholecystitis, leading to pain and discomfort in the upper right abdomen. At this time, it may also affect the stomach causing nausea and vomiting, so it is advisable to use antibiotics for anti-infection treatment as soon as possible. Once the inflammation is controlled, the condition can be alleviated. When nausea and vomiting occur, it is also advisable to fast for gastrointestinal decompression, which can better alleviate the condition. Additionally, after returning to a normal diet, one should avoid spicy and irritating foods to reduce inflammation and aid in the relief of the condition. If symptoms do not improve with conservative treatment, surgery should be considered as soon as possible.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Shen Jiang Chao
Radiology
49sec home-news-image

Gallbladder stones CT manifestations

Gallstones typically display characteristic features on a CT scan. Depending on the calcium content and the chemical composition of the stones, they can appear as high-density, isodense, or low-density stones. High-density stones present as multiple areas of increased density within the gallbladder, though they can also be solitary. A solitary high-density stone generally appears as a concentric circle with low central density surrounded by high density. Isodense stones have the same density as bile, which sometimes makes them difficult to distinguish. Low-density stones, which are primarily cholesterol stones, can sometimes contain gas, appearing as low-density shadows. CT is not the first choice for diagnosing gallstones; abdominal ultrasound is generally preferred.