Other Treatment Choices
Other treatments for gallstones in the gallbladder include:
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* Lithotripsy. This procedure uses ultrasoundwaves to break up gallstones. It may be used alone or along with bile acids to break up stones. The procedure, which is now rarely performed, has been used for people who have long-term (chronic) inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis) and who are not strong enough for surgery. But it is not appropriate in treating sudden (acute) cholecystitis.
* Contact dissolution therapy. This treatment uses a thin, flexible tube called a catheter to place a chemical in the gallbladder to dissolve gallstones. This therapy is rarely used because of the risk of complications. And unlike with surgery, gallstones may return.
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* Percutaneous cholecystostomy. This procedure may provide temporary relief for an inflamed gallbladder until an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogram (ERCP) or surgery can be performed. During percutaneous cholecystostomy, a doctor places a tube through the abdomen and into the gallbladder to drain its contents. This sometimes is done for people who are not strong enough for surgery.
Other treatments for gallstones in the common bile duct include:
* Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatogram (ERCP) with endoscopic sphincterotomy. In an ERCP, a doctor gently moves a flexible, lighted viewing instrument (endoscope) down your throat and through your stomach to examine the tubes that drain your liver and gallbladder. If you have a gallstone in the common bile duct, the gallstone can sometimes be removed through the endoscope.
Surgery Choices
Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery is the most common surgery done to remove the gallbladder. In this type of surgery, a doctor inserts a lighted viewing instrument called a laparoscope and surgical tools into your abdomen through several small cuts (incisions).
This type of surgery is very safe, and people who have it usually recover enough in about one week to go back to work or to their normal routines.
Open gallbladder surgery involves one larger incision through which the gallbladder is removed. It may be done if laparoscopic surgery is not an option or when complications are found during laparoscopic surgery. Most open surgeries occur after trying to do a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Open surgery also may be the best choice if the blood won’t clot well, the anatomy is not normal, or there is too much scarring from previous surgery.
