“Gall Bladder Stones: As small as a grain, and as large as a Golf Ball”

Dr Patta Radhakrishna
Director and Senior Consultant
Department of Surgical Gastroenterology 
MGM Healthcare Malar, Adyar

 

A small pear-shaped organ known as the gall bladder performs the crucial function of secreting bile, which breaks down fat molecules in our food. The function of this small, balloon-like structure is to concentrate bile and pump it into the intestine when necessary. Bile comprises water, cholesterol, fats, bile salts, proteins, and bilirubin, which aid in dismantling fats. If the liquid bile contains too much cholesterol or bilirubin, it can harden into gallstones.

Gallstones can range from small granules to golf ball-sized obstructions and are troublesome in nature.

A recent study revealed that gallstones occur in more than 4% of the population in India. This issue needs urgent medical attention.

A non-functioning gall bladder with stones can cause constant trouble such as acidity, burping, belching, severe pain in the upper abdomen, fever, and can occasionally cause jaundice if a stone blocks the bile duct, which carries bile from the liver to the intestine.

This type of jaundice requires immediate attention through a sophisticated investigation called ERCP to remove the bile stone in the duct.

Rarely, stones from the gall bladder can obstruct the flow of pancreatic juice from the pancreas, causing a life-threatening condition called ‘acute pancreatitis,’ which requires ICU treatment.

There is no known medical treatment for gallstones in both allopathic and alternative medical systems. Surgery or surgical removal of the gall bladder is the only solution.

Today, we live in an era of modern science. Fifty years ago, ultrasound examinations of the abdomen, coronary angiography, and heart bypass surgery were not possible. Forty years ago, CT and MRI scanners were not available, meaning many ailments went undiagnosed and untreated. Similarly, thirty years ago, laparoscopic surgery was not available; gall bladder and appendix surgeries required large cuts on the abdomen, leaving long, ugly scars.

Today, these advances allow many abdominal surgeries to be performed accurately through small incisions, often the size of a little finger.

We have gained experience in doing the operation as a day-care procedure where the patient gets admitted on the morning of surgery, gets operated on and gets discharged on the afternoon of the same day. Such is the ease of operation and hence anyone with gall bladder stones should see a surgeon with expertise in this field and should get good advice.

Dr. Patta Radhakrishna is a renowned surgical gastroenterologist, with expertise in both laparoscopic and robotic surgery.

Dr. Patta Radhakrishna holds the largest series in ERCP + Lap Cholecystectomy and is a pioneer in the management of gastrointestinal bleeding in portal hypertension, patients with ulcerative colitis, surgical obstructive jaundice, hepato-biliary surgery, pancreatic surgery, and colorectal surgery.

At MGM Healthcare Malar, Adyar, we have an expert team of gastroenterologists led by Dr.Patta Radhakrishna and state-of-the-art facilities for day care laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallstone removal. Our patients are admitted and discharged on the same day.

Making patients feel better is our utmost priority.