Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
This can be carried out either through several small incisions or through a single larger incision, usually under general anesthesia. [2] In rare cases when surgery is not possible, medication can be used to dissolve the stones or lithotripsy can be used to break them down. [7] In developed countries, 10–15% of adults experience gallstones. [4]
Gallbladder stones (aka gallstones): A gallstone is a small pebble-like mixture of bile, cholesterol, and calcium. Gallstones can block bile ducts or otherwise hinder gallbladder function.
A gastrolith, also called a stomach stone or gizzard stone, is a rock held inside a gastrointestinal tract. Gastroliths in some species are retained in the muscular gizzard and used to grind food in animals lacking suitable grinding teeth. In other species the rocks are ingested and pass through the digestive system and are frequently replaced.
Gallbladder diseases are diseases involving the gallbladder and is closely linked to biliary disease, with the most common cause being gallstones (cholelithiasis). [1] [2]The gallbladder is designed to aid in the digestion of fats by concentrating and storing the bile made in the liver and transferring it through the biliary tract to the digestive system through bile ducts that connect the ...
Biliary colic, also known as symptomatic cholelithiasis, a gallbladder attack or gallstone attack, is when a colic (sudden pain) occurs due to a gallstone temporarily blocking the cystic duct. [1] Typically, the pain is in the right upper part of the abdomen, and can be severe. [2] Pain usually lasts from 15 minutes to a few hours. [1]
Human gallstones, all removed from one patient. Grid scale 1 mm. Calculi in the inner ear are called otoliths; Calculi in the urinary system are called urinary calculi and include kidney stones (also called renal calculi or nephroliths) and bladder stones (also called vesical calculi or cystoliths). They can have any of several compositions ...
The gallbladder can be affected by gallstones, formed by material that cannot be dissolved – usually cholesterol or bilirubin, a product of hemoglobin breakdown. These may cause significant pain, particularly in the upper-right corner of the abdomen, and are often treated with removal of the gallbladder (called a cholecystectomy).
Gallstones can be asymptomatic or symptomatic. Gallstone 'attacks' often occur after a fatty meal - this is because the gallbladder responds to cholecystokinin (a hormone released by the stomach) and contracts to release bile into the duodenum to emulsify the fat in the food so it can be broken down by pancreatic lipase and absorbed.