Biliary colic, also known as symptomatic cholelithiasis, a gallbladder attack or gallstone attack, is when a colic (sudden pain) occurs due to a gallstone temporarily blocking the cystic duct. (wikipedia.org)
About 15% of people with biliary colic eventually develop inflammation of the gallbladder if not treated. (wikipedia.org)
Patients usually have normal vital signs with biliary colic, whereas patients with cholecystitis are usually febrile and more ill appearing. (wikipedia.org)
Patients are commonly asymptomatic but may present with biliary colic (intermittent pain in the right upper quadrant). (lecturio.com)
Gangrene2
the development of complications such as gangrene or perforation renders the prognosis less favorable. (medscape.com)
This condition can present as a mild condition or as a severe disease (with complications such as gallbladder gangrene, perforation, empyema) which require emergent intervention. (lecturio.com)
Acute5
citation needed] The presence of gallstones can lead to inflammation of the gallbladder (cholecystitis) or the biliary tree (cholangitis) or acute inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). (wikipedia.org)
CT scanning with intravenous (IV) contrast medium is useful in diagnosing acute cholecystitis in patients with nonspecific abdominal pain. (medscape.com)
Gall stone disease presents a spectrum of pathology, ranging from asymptomatic gall stones, to acute cholecystitis and ascending cholangitis. (learnsurgeryonline.com)
Isolated rebound tenderness in the RUQ reflects localised peritoneal irritation secondary to leakage of inflammatory fluid (acute cholecystitis) or gall bladder contents (gall bladder perforation contained locally within the omentum). (learnsurgeryonline.com)
Patients with acalculous cholecystitis may present with fever and sepsis alone, without the history of pain. (medscape.com)
Complications1
Complications from gallstone disease is 0.3% per year and therefore prophylactic cholecystectomy are rarely indicated unless part of a special population that includes porcelain gallbladder, individuals eligible for organ transplant, diabetics and those with sickle cell anemia. (wikipedia.org)
Cholangitis1
Surgical treatment choices are based on the patient's clinical condition: less radical surgical procedures such as endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) are done emergently in sick patients with ascending cholangitis or gall stone pancreatitis. (learnsurgeryonline.com)
Pancreatitis2
gallstone disease is the major cause of pancreatitis. (wikipedia.org)
They may have epigastric and/or RUQ tenderness, or diffuse abdominal tenderness (more likely to be gall stone pancreatitis). (learnsurgeryonline.com)
Right upper qu1
The gold standard imaging modality for the presence of gallstones is ultrasound of the right upper quadrant. (wikipedia.org)
Inflammation1
Mechanical irritation by gallstones can also produce chronic GB inflammation. (lecturio.com)
Rarely, a gallstone can become impacted in the ileocecal valve that joins the caecum and the ileum, causing gallstone ileus (mechanical ileus). (wikipedia.org)
Stones8
Gallstone formation occurs from the precipitation of crystals that aggregate to form stones. (wikipedia.org)
Furthermore, biliary pain may be associated with functional disorders of the biliary tract, so-called acalculous biliary pain (pain without stones), and can even be found in patients post-cholecystectomy (removal of the gallbladder), possibly as a consequence of dysfunction of the biliary tree and the sphincter of Oddi. (wikipedia.org)
Gall bladder disease (specifically gall stones) is the most common abdominal complaint causing hospital admission in the developed world. (learnsurgeryonline.com)
In the UK, 5.5 million people have gall stones and 50 000 cholecystectomies are performed each year. (learnsurgeryonline.com)
Gall stones are 2-3 times more common in women than in men at post-mortem. (learnsurgeryonline.com)
7 in 10 patients with gall stones are likely to be asymptomatic. (learnsurgeryonline.com)
Bilirubin1
If the bile duct does become completely or partially obstructed, the patient will also develop pale stools and dark urine (since bilirubin can no longer pass into the gut in the normal way). (learnsurgeryonline.com)
Disease4
Biliary pain in the absence of gallstones, known as postcholecystectomy syndrome, may severely affect the patient's quality of life, even in the absence of disease progression. (wikipedia.org)
However, the presence of gallstones is a frequent incidental finding and does not always necessitate treatment, in the absence of identifiable disease. (wikipedia.org)
The patient may be flushed, jaundiced, dehydrated, tachycardic and hypotensive, all depending on the stage of gall stone disease continuum. (learnsurgeryonline.com)
[1] Risk factors for gallstones include birth control pills , pregnancy , a family history of gallstones, obesity , diabetes , liver disease , or rapid weight loss . (wikizero.com)