Ultrasound for gallstones

Everybody must have heard about the term gallbladder. The gallbladder is an organ located below the liver. It is part of the digestive system that stores digestion facilitating green-yellow liquid known as bile. Bile stored in the gallbladder is moved out of it through a duct called the bile duct.

When this passage of the bile juice through the bile duct is interrupted because of the hardening of one of the components of bile then this is a condition of gallstones. The hardened particle is called gallstone.

Causes and Symptoms

Gallstones do not occur abruptly anytime. They keep developing in the duct for a long time. The digestive juice has several small particles that keep hardening and getting deposited in the passage. When they completely start blocking the duct then, gallstones are caused.

Gallstones vary a lot in size. They can range from the size that is as small as grain size to as large as the size of a golf ball. The gallstones don’t need to be a clump of many small-sized particles.

It can be a single large chunk of many small particles clumped together. And there have been multiple cases where an individual was seen developing multiple gallstones at the same time. Usually, doctors recommend ultrasound for gallstones.

The main causes of gallstones can be an excessive amount of cholesterol in the bile juice, excess bilirubin in the bile or poor functioning of the gallbladder. Gallstones can be classified into two major types depending on the components of the deposits.

If the deposited composition includes cholesterol then it results in cholesterol gallstones while if other bile pigments like bilirubin or biliverdin get deposited in the bile duct then it is called pigment gallstones. Talking about the tests for this disease then gallbladder stone ultrasound is suggested by doctors as it is considered to be the safest option before beginning with the treatment.

Although gallstones do not cause significantly visible signs or symptoms if the gallstone acts like a complete blockage in the bile duct then the following symptoms may be witnessed:

• The upper right region of the abdomen might be causing sudden intense pain.

• Such sudden and intense pain might also be experienced in the centre of the abdomen or below the breastbone.

• Pain is also experienced in the back of the body near the shoulder blades.

• Since the gallbladder is situated at the upper right corner of your belly, the right shoulder can experience intense and deadly pain.

• Other symptoms of gallstones include vomiting or the feeling of nausea.

Symptoms that are signals to consult a doctor instantly

• When the pain becomes unbearable in any region of the abdomen that you’re unable to sit in the correct position.

• Jaundice-like symptoms include skin yellowing and whitening of eyes.

• If high fever or chills are experienced

• In such conditions, gallbladder ultrasound is the most preferred option for diagnosis.

Diagnosis and treatment

Gallstones are diagnosed with the help of some expert or professional doctors. There are various methods of diagnosis like an ultrasound of the abdomen, EUS (Endoscopic ultrasound), blood tests, MRCP, CT, HIDA, ERCP and other tests but not all of them are considered to be a safe option. Usually, gallbladder polyp ultrasound is recommended by medical professionals due to the following main reasons.

• Relatively less expensive

• Safer

• Less dramatic and less time consuming

• Proof of accuracy

• Readily available

Let’s discuss each of the ultrasound procedures in detail.

Abdominal ultrasound

Ultrasound of the abdomen is one of the most common methods of diagnosis of gallstones. It is done with the help of a device called a transducer. The transducer is moved back and forth the stomach area, then it transmits the signals received from the stomach to the computer system which shows the scanned images on its screen. Distended gallbladder on ultrasound might be seen in the images. The gall bladder turns distended on an excessive accumulation of bile.

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)

Abdominal ultrasound might miss on a few smaller stones in the bile duct. To detect these smaller particles, EUS is conducted. An endoscope is a thin tube that is passed through the digestive tract by entering through the mouth region.

In EUS, the transducer is fitted inside the tube, which produces certain waves in the form of sound waves that help in producing precise and clear images of the tissue surrounding the gallbladder and bile duct.

With the help of a gallbladder stone ultrasound report, the doctors confirm the occurrence of gallstones in the digestive tract and then initiate the treatment accordingly.

The treatment may include the removal of the gallbladder surgically which is called cholecystectomy or if you want to avoid surgery then medications are provided that dissolve the gallstones slowly and gradually.