Gallstones Research Paper

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Abstract

Gallstones are a very common disease affecting the digestive system. It is also known as cholelithiasis. There are many causes for gallstones, some that can be prevented from occurring, and other ways. There are many ways to detect gallstones, and there are also some surgeries that are used to remove them.

The gallbladder is part of the digestive system, which is where gallstones are formed. It is located right under the liver and attached by the hepatic ducts, through which the bile is lead to the gallbladder. As part of the digestive system the gallbladders jobs is to store bile that the liver yields. As the stomach releases its contents into the small intestine, the gallbladder then releases bile that helps with digestion into the bile duct. If bile has too much salts or bilirubin, it can harden and create gallstone ranging sizes at one to three millimeters. Being that the pancreas is also connected through the bile duct, when a gallstone comes into place it can cause pancreatitis.
There are two types of gallstones; Cholesterol stones and pigment stones. Cholesterol stones are the main types of stones that affect patients; it is created by too much cholesterol in the bile. Cholesterol stones are …show more content…

There are many tests that could be used for diagnosing a patient, such as imaging tests. For imaging testing there are ultrasounds that could detect little gallstones, x-rays which could spot pigment stones, computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs) that could detect gallstones in the bile duct, Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) which is a tube with a small camera and light used to be inserted into the throat, down into the stomach, and into the small intestine; it can help detect gallstones. There is also cholecintigraphy also known as DISIDA, HIDA scan, or gallbladder radionuclides scan which can also detect for

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