Gallbladder Treatment

The main problems which require gallbladder treatment include a gallbladder attack (caused by inflammation), which is known as cholecystitis, and gallstones (medical name: cholelithiasis).

Often, a gallbladder attack is caused by gallstones when they obstruct the tube coming out your gallbladder. But cholecystitis can also be caused by infection, injury and tumors.

Gallstones, which can be so small they're almost invisible, or so large you can hit them with a nine-iron, form because too much cholesterol accumulates in the gallbladder. The cholesterol can form into a mass that's as hard as a pebble of gravel.

Gallbladder treatment, of course, depends on the nature of the problem.

Gallstones treatment Sometimes gallstones don't cause any trouble at all. Sometimes they cause big trouble. If there are no symptoms (abdomen pain being the most common), your doctor may tell you they don't need treatment.

However, if pain becomes frequent and chronic, your doctor may recommend surgery to remove them. In many gallstone cases, doctor will decide the best treatment is to remove your entire gallbladder, since it's not vital to life anyway.

There are some medications that dissolve gallstones. You take them by mouth, but it may take months or even years before they do the job.

Recently, an experimental treatment has been developed that works by injecting medications directly into the gallbladder. This may help dissolve your gallstones more quickly. At the time this article is being written, this treatment option is still being tested. Talk to your doctor for the latest information.

Treatment for cholecystitis or gallbladder inflammation Approximately 9 times out of 10, acute cholecystitis occurs when a blocks a duct in the gallbladder. This traps bile in the gallbladder and triggers an infection.

Cholecystitis may also be caused by excessive use of alcohol, severe illness, or tumors. Sometimes cholecystitis resolves itself without treatment. But typically, some form of treatment is in order. Treatment possibilities include:

• surgery to drain the gallbladder, which is generally used only for very ill patients, and
• gallbladder removal surgery.

Treatment for gallbladder cancer Gallbladder cancer rarely presents symptoms in the early stages. By the time symptoms are evident, it has often advanced to a stage where a cure is unlikely. When it is caught in time, treatment will depend on factors that include the stage the cancer has reached, your age, your general health, and lifestyle preferences. Your doctor will consider several options. Gallbladder removal surgery is the most likely.

If the cancer has spread beyond the gallbladder (a process known as metastasis), it may take more than removing the gallbladder. In such cases, chemotherapy and radiation treatment may be necessary. But the location and stage of the cancer will require careful consideration in the decision making process.