Gallstone Treatment: How many ways Gallstone can be treated?

After a diagnosis, the doctor will determine from the stage you are in, if it is not in a severe stage, there is no need for receiving a surgical treatment. However, when the symptom is shown, the doctor will consider a surgery treatment based on the patients’ health and readiness.

How many ways are there to treat the Gallstone?

The Gallstone cannot be treated by the Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy because it has a different cause from the Kidney and the Bladder stones. Doctor Hasun Moohamud, General Surgeon and Gallstone Surgery specialist at Phyathai 1 Hospital has explained about the treatment alternatives as follows:

1. Young healthy patient with no Gallstone inflammation: The doctor will not order a surgery instead he will observe your symptom then make an appointment for you every 6 months. This is because the Gallstone do not usually show the symptom in most cases, accordingly, you might not need a treatment.
2. Patient associated with other diseases: If the patient has other diseases, such as, heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, liver disease or diabetes, the doctor will suggest you to have a surgery when the Gallstone has not yet inflamed. Please take note that having a surgery when the Gallstone is inflamed is risky as you might get a new disease.
3. Have a surgery treatment by doctor’s decision.

What type of patient that require a surgery ?

According to the fact that treating Gallstone by using a Gallstone dissolver (Chenodeoxycholic acid) is not effective as it takes a longer period, also, there is a chance that the Gallstone might return after you stop taking the medicine, for that reason, it is not often used. That is why the doctor usually orders a surgery for those who have such symptoms. However, there are 2 types of well-known surgery as follows;

1. Open Cholecystectomy: The doctor will use it when there is a severe inflammation or when the bile duct surpassingly breaks down.
2. Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy: The doctor will use it when there is no severe inflammation.

Doctor Hasun Moohamud added that “The main cause of the Gallstone is your eating behavior especially those who always love having food with fatty since they were young or those with overweight. In fact, if you have these behaviors and experience of the flatulence and colic after your meal, then you need to visit a doctor to get a proper diagnosis.

Dr. Hasun Moohamud
General Surgeon and Gallstone Surgery Specialist