Alternatives to Gallstone Surgery

Gallstones occur in the gallbladder when bile stored turns into hard pebble-like pieces. There are two types of gallstones that can range in size from a grain of sand to the size of a golf ball. One type is composed of hardened cholesterol and accounts for approximately 80 percent of all gallstones that develop. The second type is known as pigment gallstones and are composed of hardened bilirubin. Gallstones can develop as many tiny stones, one large stone, or as a combination of the two. (National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, 2007).

Treatment Methods

• Asymptomatic gallstones discovered during CT scans for other ailments are simply noted and not commonly treated. When gallstones are identified, but are presenting no patient symptoms, physicians will generally make the patient aware of the common symptoms in case they should present symptoms in the future (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2009).

  Patients with symptoms of gallstones need treatment. Gallstones that become an issue for patients generally present symptoms such as intense and sudden pain in the right portion of the stomach, intense or sudden pain under the breastbone in the middle of the stomach, pain between the shoulder blades in the back, or pain in the right shoulder. The pain may last over a period of several hours or just for a few minutes. Regardless of the duration of the pain, one should call a physician when experiencing these signs or symptoms.

  The most common treatments are either no treatment at all or surgical removal of the gallbladder.

  The only non-surgical treatment is prescribing medications. Certain medications have proven to dissolve gallstones slowly over time. However, this treatment may take a good deal of time to work effectively on the patient and is by no means a quick resolution for a patient's symptoms (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2009).

Other Treatments

• As of 2009, there is a new procedure being tested as a non-surgical solution to ridding a patient of gallstones. The experimental procedure involves injecting medication directly into the gallbladder. However, the procedure has not been proven to be either safe or effective yet. (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2009).

Prevention

• Medication treatment is commonly reserved for patients whose physicians believe they cannot tolerate surgery for some reason. Therefore, to avoid the need for gallbladder treatment, one should take steps to prevent the possible formation of gallstones (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2009). Steps to prevent gallstones include not skipping meals, exercising regularly, and losing weight slowly. Other prevention methods include monitoring and maintaining a healthy weight, because being overweight increases an individual's chances of developing gallstones (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 2009).