Every tenth inhabitant of our planet is diagnosed with gallstones. They vary in size. Sometimes there is only one stone in a bubble, but most often there are several, moreover, of different shapes. This pathology, as a rule, is found at the next preventive examination. In this case, the question arises: "Stone in the gallbladder - to remove or not?". It is not possible to give a definite answer to it. Pathology may not manifest itself for a long time, but it is not recommended to run it. A stone can injure the walls of an organ, and inflammation can spread to other areas. In this article we will talk in more detail about the causes of such a pathology and the methods of treatment offered by modern medicine.
general information
The gall bladder is a small reservoir with liquid contents that is localized next to the liver. The latter continuously produces bile. It constantly accumulates in the bladder, which, when emptied, throws it into the duodenum. Bile promotes the active digestion of food. It consists of fairly complex chemicals, as well as cholesterol and bilirubin. With prolonged stagnation of bile, cholesterol gradually begins to precipitate, and then is deposited on the so-called protein scaffolds. Such a process entails the formation of microscopic stones, which over time can increase in size and merge with each other. In this case, it is usually a gallstone disease.
The formation of calculus in the gallbladder is a fairly lengthy process, taking from 5 to about 20 years. Specialists distinguish the following types:
- Cholesterol. They differ in round shape and small diameter up to 18 mm.
- Lime. They contain a lot of calcium, are extremely rare.
- Mixed. They are characterized by a layered structure.
The type of calculi depends primarily on human nutrition. For example, in Europe, 90% of all diagnosed gallstones differ in their cholesterol nature. In Japan, until 1945, calcareous forms prevailed. However, over time and as the Japanese moved to a “western” diet, the proportion of cholesterol stones began to grow.
It is noteworthy that on the African continent this kind of pathology is rarely confirmed, which cannot be said about our country. In Russia, 12 out of 100 people are annually diagnosed with gallstones. 600 thousand people are appointed for the removal operation , in the United States these figures are much higher. In America, about 1.2 million people undergo surgery every year.
Causes
Under normal conditions, in absolutely healthy people, bile in the bladder is in a liquid state and does not contribute to the formation of stones. However, experts call a number of factors that affect the change in its initial properties. As a result, stones form.
- Inflammation of the wall of the sac.
- Metabolic disorders due to inactivity, stagnation of bile, ailments of an infectious nature.
- Hereditary predisposition.
- Liver disease.
- Food. Due to the use of cholesterol-containing products, the concentration of this substance gradually increases and stones form.
- Diet. Starvation often becomes the cause of gallstone disease.
- Changes at the hormonal level. An excess of female sex hormones is usually observed during pregnancy, the use of oral contraceptives.
- Age. The body of the elderly often does not cope with the load on the liver, which entails the formation of pathology.
- Stress.
- The use of alcoholic beverages.
What symptoms indicate gallstones?
How to relieve an attack of pain? What drugs should be taken for this? Before you understand these issues, you need to tell exactly what signs indicate the formation of stones.
Many people with such a pathology often do not even suspect about it. Symptoms most often appear several years after the onset of its formation.
Biliary colic appears suddenly. The pain in this case is constant, localized mainly in the right hypochondrium. The duration of cramping can be from 15 minutes to about four hours. If after this time the pain discomfort persists, inflammation of the gallbladder may be suspected.
Also, patients note the presence of a pronounced dyspeptic syndrome (problems with stools, nausea, bloating). Some people have a fever. Such a symptom most often indicates the attachment of a secondary bacterial infection.
Survey plan
If you have been diagnosed with gallstone, how to treat and what to do next can only be told by a qualified specialist. If primary symptoms appear, it is recommended to consult a gastroenterologist. Diagnosis of this pathology involves a conversation with the doctor, the study of the patient's specific complaints, and taking a medical history.
If gallstones are suspected, instrumental diagnostic methods are mandatory. Through the most common radiographs, it is usually not possible to consider pathology. Patients are recommended cholecystography, in which X-ray is used together with a contrast medium.
An even more affordable diagnostic method is ultrasound. It allows you to identify stones, determine their size and shape, as well as mobility.
What to do when a pathology is detected?
If a gallstone was diagnosed, treatment methods should be comprehensive. Modern medicine, depending on the nature of the pathology and the severity of the inflammatory process, offers several approaches to therapy:
- Diet (principles of proper nutrition).
- Correction of lifestyle (normalization of sleep and rest, physical activity).
- Conservative therapy.
- Non-operative removal of stones.
- Surgical intervention (if, for example, a stone in the gall bladder is 32 mm).
What to do first? All patients, without exception, with such a diagnosis, it is recommended to reconsider their usual lifestyle. It is necessary to abandon all addictions (smoking, abuse of alcohol) and try to adhere to the correct lifestyle. Patients should increase locomotor activity to enhance fat burning in the body and remove cholesterol. For these purposes, it is not necessary to go to the gym and take up serious exercises. It is quite enough to walk on foot after work, attend yoga classes or exercise therapy.
Talk about nutrition
Bile and cholesterol are inextricably linked. This is because an excess of these substances can trigger the formation of gallstones. 80% of cholesterol is constantly produced by the liver. The remainder comes with food. Cholesterol is extremely important for the synthesis of sex hormones, normal digestion and the absorption of vitamins. However, its excess leads to heart attacks. By controlling the level of cholesterol with food, you can avoid the occurrence of such a pathology as a stone in the gallbladder.
The diet for this disease is based on a decrease in the intake of animal fats and excessively high-calorie foods. As practice shows, vegetarians practically do not have to deal with such a problem. Patients with this diagnosis are advised to refuse foods of animal origin with a high fat content (pork, saturated broths, fried meat, etc.). Smoked meats, canned food, and lard also fall under the ban. The diet should be varied with vegetables and fruits, lean meat and fish in small quantities, as well as lactic acid products are allowed. The best breakfast is oatmeal on the water with fresh berries or cottage cheese, for lunch you can bake chicken fillet with vegetables, and for dinner make a light vegetable salad with fish cakes. Dishes are steamed or stewed.
Food is recommended to be taken in small portions, but often (4-5 times a day). All those who take a break between meals for more than 14 hours have an increased likelihood of developing this kind of pathology. In addition, the risk group includes constantly losing weight ladies and lovers to refuse a full breakfast. The lack of regular nutrition leads to a deficiency of certain acids in the digestive tract. Excess cholesterol does not break down and falls out as a precipitate, that is, a stone forms in the gallbladder.
Diet involves a complete rejection of alcohol and coffee. Only half a cup of this stimulating drink per day provokes an excess and even useless bladder contraction.
As for the fair sex, those ladies who include citrus, cereal and legume daily in their diet are less likely to develop pathology.
Conservative treatment
As a rule, one diet is not enough to resolve the stone in the gall bladder. How to dissolve it medically? Therapeutic treatment, first of all, should be aimed at reducing unpleasant symptoms. Here we are talking about the so-called biliary colic. The accompanying severe pain is due to intense muscle spasm in the area of ​​localization of the stone. In this case, a vicious circle is often observed. Spasm provokes severe pain discomfort. Pain through a neuro-reflex effect on all surrounding tissues only increases spasm. In this case, therapy should have two goals at the same time: relieve spasm and eliminate pain.
Specialists prescribe various antispasmodic drugs to reduce the pain discomfort that accompanies gallstone. How to treat pathology, what dosage of the drug to choose, only the doctor decides. As a rule, the attack is relieved by injection of Papaverine or Dibazol. In acute attacks of biliary colic, intramuscular administration of No-shpa or Eufillina is recommended. Of course, any of these medications has its contraindications, so the choice of a drug is carried out only after examination of the patient.
Antispasmodics are often administered simultaneously with painkillers. Baralgin is particularly effective.
If it is not possible to reduce symptoms with the help of the above medications, stronger drugs are prescribed in combination (Tramal + Atropine).
Very often, due to nausea, the patient cannot drink the medicine. In this kind of situation, drugs are administered with an enema. As a rule, a combination of “Eufillin”, “Analgin” and belladonna is used.
Drug therapy is also actively used to dissolve gallstone. How to withdraw it in this case? The calculus can be literally dissolved with the help of ursodeoxycholic acid (Ursosan, Ursokhol, Ursofalk) and chenodeoxycholic acids (Henokhol, Henofalk, Henodiol).
Who is this treatment suitable for? First of all, the calculi in the gallbladder should be of a cholesterol nature, their size - no more than 15 mm, the contractility of the bladder is normal. The course of treatment usually lasts from 6 and up to about 24 months. At this time, patients are advised to abandon drugs that promote stone formation and interfere with the normal absorption of constituent drugs (for example, antacids).
Removal of stones without surgery
To do this, shock-wave lithotripsy is used - a technique in which a specialist “crushes” a stone in the gallbladder with ultrasound or a laser. The operation to remove calculus is not suitable for all patients. It is recommended only if the number of stones does not exceed three pieces, they differ in their cholesterol nature. Due to the fact that the procedure implies a direct physical impact, it is not suitable for patients with bleeding disorders.
In total, no more than seven therapy sessions are required. The stones are fragmented to particles of about 3 mm, and then independently come out with bile. In practice, such treatment is usually combined with drug therapy. Common side effects include the following: blockage of the bile ducts, development of the inflammatory process.
Using a laser, you can also remove gallstones. The laser removal operation is carried out according to the same principle as ultrasound. However, with this procedure, the probability of a burn of the mucous membrane is quite high. That is why they resort to her help only in exceptional cases.
Surgical intervention
Surgical intervention is highly effective in treating a problem such as gallstone. The operation to remove an existing calculus can be carried out in two ways:
- Open cholecystectomy. This is a classic procedure that is recommended for large stones. During the operation, the doctor makes an incision in the abdominal cavity, then removes the gallbladder, and if necessary, conducts drainage. Drainage is the installation of special plastic tubes for the outflow of blood, body fluids and wound exudate. A couple of days after surgery, the tubes are removed.
- Laparoscopy today is actively used in many fields of medicine. You have to resort to her help with such a pathology as a stone in the gallbladder. The operation to remove calculi is notable for its low invasiveness. Initially, the surgeon makes several punctures, through one of them carbon dioxide is supplied directly into the abdominal cavity itself. This is necessary so that the stomach grows in size, and in the resulting space it is easier to carry out manipulations. After that, the laparoscope itself is directly introduced through the trocar. It is a tube with a camera at the end. An optical cable with a light source can be attached to it. Such a device allows you to view the organs from the inside, as the picture from the laparoscope is displayed on the computer screen. Micromanipulators are introduced through the remaining trocars to perform the operation itself.
Today, experts, choosing from the options proposed above, most often give preference to the second. Laparoscopy is recommended if the stone in the gallbladder is 2 cm. An operation of this kind has a lot of advantages. These include the following: rapid recovery, lack of postoperative scarring, slight blood loss.
Patient Reviews
This article presents several options for overcoming such a common pathology - a stone in the gallbladder. The removal operation (reviews of surgical intervention are found exclusively positive) calculi allows you to almost permanently get rid of the problem. Some patients talk about serious complications after this or that procedure. As practice shows, the development of such consequences is possible only if the qualification of the surgeon is not high enough, and the patient neglects the recommendations of the doctor after surgery.
Gall bladder stone: treatment with folk remedies
Many patients prefer to abandon medications and choose alternative medicine. There are cases when the recipes of our grandmothers in practice proved their effectiveness. However, experts still do not recommend resorting to this kind of therapy. It can only be used as an adjunct to drug or surgical treatment. It is very important to consult with your doctor in advance about this issue. Below we list the most popular recipes that allow you to dissolve a stone in the gallbladder.
- Treatment with folk remedies involves the use of various herbs. It is necessary to mix five parts of celandine and clover herb with three parts of chicory, dandelion root, valerian. A tablespoon of the resulting mixture should be filled with a glass of boiling water. It is recommended to take medicine in the morning and in the evening approximately 50 ml.
- Red rowan berries have also been shown to be effective against this pathology. You can pick berries and freeze them in season. Then, when pain discomfort appears, it is necessary to begin treatment. To do this, it is recommended to eat two glasses of previously thawed berries per day. Sometimes they are mixed with a small amount of honey.
- What to do if tormenting a stone in the gall bladder? How to relieve pain? Since ancient times, healers have suggested using the most common birch leaves for these purposes. You need a tablespoon of pre-dried leaves pour a glass of boiling water and simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes. Then leave for one hour and gently strain. This medicine should be taken one glass about an hour before meals.
Prevention
How to prevent the development of such a pathology as a stone in the gallbladder? How to dissolve it? First of all, doctors strongly recommend a radical review of their usual diet. Do not get involved in excessively fatty foods, preference should be given to fresh vegetables and fruits, lean foods. It is better to cook food for a couple or bake in the oven. So it will not only retain the maximum amount of nutrients, but also have a beneficial effect on the work of absolutely the whole organism.
It is necessary to pay attention to everyday physical activity, especially for overweight people. However, serious sports should not be taken immediately, it is better to proceed from general well-being. The thing is that intense physical activity can affect the body of obese people. Once a week, it is important to arrange a fasting day. It involves the use of only one product. The most popular are rice, fruit days. It is important to first consult with a specialist on this issue.
Prevention also includes visiting the pool, evening walks in the fresh air. Such a lifestyle and exceptionally proper nutrition almost 100% guarantee a warning on the development of this pathology.
Conclusion
This article provides information on the topic "Stone in the gallbladder: treatment methods, diet, prevention." Unfortunately, many people face this problem every year. However, timely diagnosis and following all the doctor's recommendations can minimize the risk of negative consequences and complications. Moreover, a qualified specialist can always suggest the most optimal treatment option that is suitable for a particular patient. Be healthy!