“Is surgery the only way to remove a gallbladder stone?”
I am a 32 year old woman and I have been detected with gallbladder stones. Is surgery the only way to remove these stones or can they pass off on their own like kidney stones?
6 Answers
It is not but it is the most common and accepted method to do it
Unfortunately, surgery is the only efficient way. However, surgey done laparscopically is very safe and effective with low rates of complications and short hospital stays.
No, surgery is not the only way, but the only other option (placing a tube into the gallbladder and injecting chemicals to dissovle stones) is really not avaiable except in very few academic centers. Not worth your while to pursue the nonsurgical option because it is not a conventional treatment.
Stones will only exit the gallbladder (GB) if they are small enough, but even that is not necessarily a good thing because the stones can get stuck in the bile ducts and cause pancreatitis. Large stones seen on an ultrasound will probably never be able to exit the GB. You don't need surgey to remove the GB if the stones are not causing a problem, such as causing pain (biliary colic) or inflaming the GB (cholecystitis).
Most people with gallstones are overweight or obese. Eating less fatty foods and losing weight can help prevent more stones from forming and stop existing stones from getting bigger.
Hope this helps.
Stones will only exit the gallbladder (GB) if they are small enough, but even that is not necessarily a good thing because the stones can get stuck in the bile ducts and cause pancreatitis. Large stones seen on an ultrasound will probably never be able to exit the GB. You don't need surgey to remove the GB if the stones are not causing a problem, such as causing pain (biliary colic) or inflaming the GB (cholecystitis).
Most people with gallstones are overweight or obese. Eating less fatty foods and losing weight can help prevent more stones from forming and stop existing stones from getting bigger.
Hope this helps.
If you are not symptomatic and have no risk factors, you may watch it. Otherwise, surgery is the only acceptable option.
It is not always necessary to undergo surgery in order to correct a gallbladder problem such as gallstones. Another approach is to consider gallstone dissolution therapy, which is oral medication designed to slowly dissolve stones over time. However, before considering this option, you will need to have a functioning gallbladder. In this case, an HIDA scan would need to be performed showing in ejection fraction of 20% or greater. If ejection fraction is low, then gallstone dissolution therapy is often not effective. When the ejection fraction is greater than 20%, I have found a better than 50% success rate in dissolving gallbladder stones and sludge over a one-year period of time.
Mark Noar
Mark Noar
Gallstones are best treated by surgery.
