Hey Patti, I think it's great you're researching procedures for gall stone removal as well as talking to your friends about it. While I haven't had gall bladder surgery, I have undergone a laparoscopy (for a different reason)and found the procedure very easy and was back to work the next day.
I did a little research of my own to assist with a few of your questions until someone shares her first-hand account. Laprascopy is different in that it requires and incision and Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography or ERCP -- does not.
In ERCP, the patient swallows an endoscope that a physician guides down your throat, stomach and duoedum. The procedure is performed while a you lie on your left side on an examination table. According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, you'll receive medication to numb the back of your throat as well as a sedative to help you relax during the exam.
Once the scope reaches the pancreas, you'll be asked to lie on your stomach so the doctor can insert a small plastic tube into the scope. The doctor will then inject a dye into the ducts and x-rays will be taken as soon as the dye is injected.
If the exam shows a gallstone or narrowing of the ducts, the doctor will then insert instruments into the scope to remove or relieve the obstruction. The procedure takes 30 minutes to two hours. You may also need to stay in the hospital for a few hours until the sedative wears off.
A third option is extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) which is used to break up the stones but is only used in about 15 percent of the cases and on stones that are less than two centimeters (Source: University of Maryland Medical Center)
This is an even less-invasive procedure and requires the patient to sit in a tub of water. High-energy shock waves are directed through the abdominal wall toward the stones. Shock waves then travel through the soft tissues of the body and break up the stones which are passed through the bile duct and into the intestines.
Does this information help Patti? What does your doctor recommend?
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Hey Patti, I think it's great you're researching procedures for gall stone removal as well as talking to your friends about it. While I haven't had gall bladder surgery, I have undergone a laparoscopy (for a different reason)and found the procedure very easy and was back to work the next day.
I did a little research of my own to assist with a few of your questions until someone shares her first-hand account. Laprascopy is different in that it requires and incision and Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography or ERCP -- does not.
In ERCP, the patient swallows an endoscope that a physician guides down your throat, stomach and duoedum. The procedure is performed while a you lie on your left side on an examination table. According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, you'll receive medication to numb the back of your throat as well as a sedative to help you relax during the exam.
Once the scope reaches the pancreas, you'll be asked to lie on your stomach so the doctor can insert a small plastic tube into the scope. The doctor will then inject a dye into the ducts and x-rays will be taken as soon as the dye is injected.
If the exam shows a gallstone or narrowing of the ducts, the doctor will then insert instruments into the scope to remove or relieve the obstruction. The procedure takes 30 minutes to two hours. You may also need to stay in the hospital for a few hours until the sedative wears off.
A third option is extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) which is used to break up the stones but is only used in about 15 percent of the cases and on stones that are less than two centimeters (Source: University of Maryland Medical Center)
This is an even less-invasive procedure and requires the patient to sit in a tub of water. High-energy shock waves are directed through the abdominal wall toward the stones. Shock waves then travel through the soft tissues of the body and break up the stones which are passed through the bile duct and into the intestines.
Does this information help Patti? What does your doctor recommend?
February 18, 2009 - 4:32pmThis Comment
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