gallbladder
Thanks to a rising obesity rate, gallbladder issues are on the rise in children. In this Mayo Clinic Radio Health Minute, Dr. Michael [...]
Study: younger, older people likelier to visit ER repeatedly with gallstone pain before surgery ROCHESTER, Minn. — Gallstone pain is one of the most common reasons patients visit emergency rooms. Figuring out who needs emergency gallbladder removal and who can go home and schedule surgery at their convenience is sometimes a tricky question, and it isn’t always answered correctly. A new Mayo Clinic study found that 1 in 5 patients who went to the emergency room with gallbladder pain and were sent home to schedule surgery returned to the ER within 30 days needing emergency gallbladder removal. The surgical complication rate rises with the time lag before surgery, the researchers say. “It makes a big difference if you get the right treatment at the right time,” says co-lead author Juliane Bingener-Casey, M.D., a gastroenterologic surgeon at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. The study is published in the Journal of Surgical Research. Often it’s obvious who needs emergency gallbladder removal, a procedure known as cholecystectomy, who can delay it and who doesn’t need surgery at all. But sometimes patients fall into a gray area. Mayo researchers are working to develop a reliable tool to help determine the best course of action in those cases, and the newly published study is a first step, Dr. Bingener-Casey says.
ROCHESTER, Minn. — A recent study conducted by Mayo Clinic researchers recommends laparoscopic cholecystectomies (surgical removal of the gallbladder) for pediatric patients suffering from gallstones and other gallbladder diseases. This study was published in Surgical Laparoscopy Endoscopy & Percutaneous Techniques. Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Ishitani are available in the downloads. A cholecystectomy is a surgical procedure performed to remove the gallbladder, a pear-shaped organ located below the liver on the upper right side of the abdomen. The gallbladder is responsible for collecting and storing bile, which is a fluid secreted by the liver. During a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, four incisions are made in the abdomen. Then, a small video camera and other special tools are used to remove the gallbladder. “Cholelithiasis and other gallbladder diseases requiring cholecystectomies are less common in children compared to adults,” says Michael B. Ishitani, M.D., lead author of the study. “Recently, however, rising rates of obesity in the pediatric population have led to an increase of gallstones found in children. Therefore, it was important for us to review the current clinical practices to ensure that pediatric patients are being treated properly.” Journalists: Sound bites with Dr. Ishitani are available in the downloads.
It's a leading cause of visits to the E.R... gallbladder problems. In this Mayo Clinic Radio Health Minute, we hear from