Gallstones Also called Cholelithiasis, gallbladder stones are the accumulation of digestive juices in a hard form in your gallbladder. These can vary in size, ranging from small grain-sized stones to tennis-ball-sized stones.
Irrespective of the size of these stones, they might require treatment as they pose a serious health threat if the stone travels to the bile duct. You can reach out to the gastroenterologist to discuss your treatment options. In the meantime, let’s learn more about gallbladder stones.
What Causes Gallbladder Stones?
A majority of gallbladder stones (around 75%) are made of cholesterol. So, those diagnosed with a higher level of cholesterol, whether because of obesity or diabetes, might develop gallbladder stones. Your liver filters cholesterol from the blood and sends it to the bile as a waste product.
Your bile duct secretes chemicals that dissolve the waste, including cholesterol. However, if the level of cholesterol in your blood increases beyond the normal level, the chemicals might be unable to dissolve them. This creates crystals, which eventually become stones. Other causes of gallbladder stones are excess bilirubin and gallbladder stasis.
What Are The Symptoms Of Gallbladder Stones?
Gallstones do not cause any problems unless they get lodged somewhere and lead to a blockage. If that happens, you might notice these symptoms:
- Extreme pain in the upper right abdomen
- The pain can radiate to different parts of your abdomen and can sometimes be felt on the shoulder blades.
- Nausea and vomiting
The pain might last for a few minutes to several hours and your upper abdomen can feel sensitive to touch.
Also Read: A Comprehensive Guide To Gallbladder Stone Removal
What Size of Gallbladder Stones Need Surgery?
As mentioned above, the symptoms you experience matter more than the size of the gallbladder stones. They can be as small as 1 centimeter but might require surgical removal of the entire gallbladder because of the painful symptoms.
Or, they could be big but cause no symptoms. Usually, gallbladder stone surgery is required when the hardened crystals have caused the blockage or the stones have led to other complications, like acute pancreatitis, or bile duct cancer.
Surgical removal of gallbladder stones is your best option to avoid any complications. For other non-invasive gallbladder stone treatments in Navi Mumbai, talk to a healthcare provider and get a diagnosis. They will check the size of these stones and the symptoms to recommend the most suitable treatment.
Laparoscopic surgery is the best for gallbladder stones. It has a faster recovery period and fewer complications than the open surgery counterpart.
What Are the Risks and Complications of Gallbladder Surgery?
You might have gas pain after a laparoscopic gallbladder stone surgery, as the gas is used to get a better view of your internal organs. There’s less risk of complications in laparoscopic surgery. In rare cases, infection, bleeding, or damage to the surrounding organs can cause complications.
Conclusion
Surgical removal of gallbladder stones is the best treatment option. The hardened crystals might not cause any symptoms initially, but there’s always a risk of infection and other complications present. So, it’s best to get them surgically removed.