Gall Bladder Disease Specialist
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Oakland General Surgery
Einas Joseph, MD
General Surgeon located in Rochester Hills, MI
The gallbladder is a small organ that stores and releases bile to help you digest fat. Sometimes it develops gallstones, blockages, and inflammation that can cause severe pain that requires its removal. Einas Joseph, MD, of Oakland General Surgery in Rochester Hills, Michigan, is an experienced general surgeon who has many years of experience in performing gallbladder disease surgery. Find out how you can benefit from having your gallbladder removed by calling Oakland General Surgery today or book an appointment online.
Gall Bladder Disease Q&A
What is gallbladder disease?
Your gallbladder is a storage pouch that contains bile, a fluid created in your liver for digesting fat. Bile ducts transport bile to your small intestine from your gallbladder.
Several conditions come under the umbrella of gallbladder disease, including:
Gallstones
Gallstones (cholelithiasis) are a common type of gallbladder disease. The stones are formed from cholesterol and waste products, starting off the size of a grain of sand and increasing over time; some are the size of a golf ball. They can irritate your gallbladder and block the bile ducts.
Cholecystitis
Cholecystitis is inflammation of your gallbladder that may be acute or chronic. It can result from gallstones or conditions like gallbladder cancer. The chronic form develops if you have repeated attacks of acute cholecystitis and can cause your gallbladder to shrink and thicken.
Choledocholithiasis
Choledocholithiasis occurs when gallstones lodge in the gallbladder neck or the bile ducts. Bile collects behind the blockage, distending your gallbladder and causing inflammation. Choledocholithiasis can cause fever, vomiting, and jaundice and is typically extremely painful.
Gallbladder cancer
Cancer develops in the gallbladder when cells mutate and form masses. These tumors increase in size over time, and cancer may spread if left untreated.
How is gallbladder disease diagnosed?
Diagnosing gallbladder disease requires a consultation to discuss your symptoms and medical history, plus a physical exam. Additional tests that can confirm the diagnosis include:
- Ultrasound
- Elastography ultrasounds
- CT scan
- Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
- Hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan
Gallbladder pain is often severe, so you're likely to need medication to keep it under control. If medicines, lifestyle changes, and weight loss don't relieve your symptoms, or your condition worsens and becomes an emergency, you might need surgery to remove your gallbladder.
What does gallbladder surgery involve?
Gallbladder surgery typically involves removing the organ, a safe and effective solution to gallbladder disease. You don't need a gallbladder to survive, as your liver can simply secrete bile directly into the small intestine instead.
Dr. Joseph performs minimally invasive laparoscopic gallbladder removal surgery (laparoscopic cholecystectomy) and open surgery where necessary.
To find out more about treatment options for gallbladder disease, call Oakland General Surgery today, or book an appointment online.
