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Lithotomy from Greek for "lithos" and "tomos" (), is a surgical method for removal of calculi, stones formed inside certain organs, such as the urinary tract (kidney stones), bladder (bladder stones), and gallbladder (), that cannot exit naturally through the urinary system or biliary tract.
Gallstones can vary in size and shape from as small as a grain of sand to as large as a golf ball. [39] The gallbladder may contain a single large stone or many smaller ones. Pseudoliths, sometimes referred to as sludge, are thick secretions that may be present within the gallbladder, either alone or in conjunction with fully formed gallstones.
The gallbladder can also be removed in order to treat biliary dyskinesia or gallbladder cancer. [7] Gallstones are very common but 50–80% of people with gallstones are asymptomatic and do not need surgery; their stones are noticed incidentally on imaging tests of the abdomen (such as ultrasound or CT) done for some other reason. [8]
Postcholecystectomy syndrome (PCS) describes the presence of abdominal symptoms after a cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal). Symptoms occur in about 5 to 40 percent of patients who undergo cholecystectomy, [1] and can be transient, persistent or lifelong. [2] [3] The chronic condition is diagnosed in approximately 10% of postcholecystectomy ...
If the patient must have the gallbladder removed for gallstones, the surgeon may choose to proceed with the surgery, and obtain a cholangiogram during the surgery. If the cholangiogram shows a stone in the bile duct, the surgeon may attempt to treat the problem by flushing the stone into the intestine or retrieve the stone back through the ...
Many stone types can be detected by ultrasound; Factors contributing to stone formation (as in #Etiology) are often tested: Laboratory testing can give levels of relevant substances in blood or urine; Some stones can be directly recovered (at surgery, or when they leave the body spontaneously) and sent to a laboratory for analysis of content
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Cancer of the gallbladder may also be found incidentally after surgical removal of the gallbladder, with 1–3% of cancers identified in this way. Gallbladder polyps are mostly benign growths or lesions resembling growths that form in the gallbladder wall, [ 26 ] and are only associated with cancer when they are larger in size (>1 cm). [ 21 ]