Gallstone Research Paper

The earliest known gallstone dates back to the twenty-first Egyptian Dynasty sometime between 1085-945 B.C., that was discovered in the mummy of a priestess of Amen. This ancient specimen was destroyed, unfortunately, in the bombing of England during World War Two. Gallstones or cholelithiasis were first described and further researched in the fifth century by the Greek physician named Alexander Trallianus. Trallianus wrote about stones within the bile ducts. Trallianus wrote about stones in the bile duct. Although, Trallianus discovered gallstones, he did not know there are different stages in the formation of gallstones. However, Carl Langenbuch of Berlin was credited to have performed the first cholecystectomy or surgical removal of the

The gallbladder is not a vital organ. Gallstones range in size from as small as a grain of sand to as big as a golf ball, range from a few millimeters to several centimeters in diameter. Gallstones may also be soft, smooth, or even jagged, due to the development of cholesterol and pigments in bile that sometimes form hard particles (Balentine). Bile is a fluid produced by the liver, stored in the gallbladder, it passes through the common bile duct into the duodenum where it helps digest fat. Bile is made of cholesterol, bile salts, and the pigment bilirubin. Gallstone disease is the most common gastrointestinal disorder of adult life (Heuman "Gallstones (Cholelithiasis) "). There are two types of gallstones that can form in the gallbladder: Cholesterol and Pigment Gallstones. Cholesterol Gallstones are the commonly developed stones, they usually appear to have a yellowish color, this is because of the undissolved cholesterol. Pigment Gallstones have a dark brown or black color, these stones only appear when you have too much bilirubin in your

Certain chemicals such as, ursodiol or chenodiol, have been shown to dissolve some gallstones, they can be found in oral bile acid pills. If these medicines work on the patient they will thin the bile, which will allow the gallstones to dissolve. This medical treatment can be very effective and tolerated if limited to people whose gallstones are small and made of cholesterol (WebMD). However, Doctors believe if you do not have symptoms, the patient should “wait and see,” because the risks outweigh the benefits for both medical and surgical treatments. If you have gallbladder symptoms, surgical treatments are preferred unless you are at high risk, and then drug treatments may be utilized. Surgical removal for gallstones range from different prices however, most health insurances typically pay for the procedure. For patients without health insurance, gallbladder surgery typically costs $10,000-$20,000. For example, at Wright Medical Center in Iowa, open gallbladder surgery costs about $9,700, including a doctor fee of about $2,500, while laparoscopic gallbladder surgery costs about $12,600, including a doctor fee of about $3,200