Are You at Risk for Gallstones?

Gallstones form in the gallbladder, a small organ under the liver that stores and releases bile, a liquid produced by the liver to aid in digestion. Gallstones form when bile hardens. The stones can range in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball.

While doctors aren’t exactly sure what causes gallstones, there are risk factors that make you more likely to develop them. These include:

• A family history of gallstones
• Being female
• Being over age 40
• Being of Native American or Mexican descent
• Obesity
• Eating a diet high in fat and cholesterol but low in fiber
• Not regularly exercising
• Taking birth control or hormone replacement therapy
• Pregnancy
• Diabetes
• Digestive disorders like Crohn’s disease
• Liver disorders like cirrhosis
• Taking cholesterol medication
• Losing a lot of weight in a short period
• Fasting

Many people with gallstones don’t know they have them until they begin experiencing symptoms. Common signs include:

• Gallbladder attack: Constant abdominal pain, usually in the upper right side of the belly. The intense, knife-like pain can last anywhere from 15 minutes to hours. Eating meals, especially fatty foods, can trigger a gallbladder attack.
• Pain in the right shoulder or back
• An upset stomach
• Vomiting
• Other digestive problems like indigestion, heartburn or gas

Gallstones frequently reoccur. Left untreated they can cause more serious conditions such as inflammation of the gallbladder or problems with the pancreas or bile ducts. If your gallstone attacks and symptoms are mild or infrequent and your physician thinks you are not at risk for more serious complications, you can take a wait-and-see approach. However, if you have a critical complication or have repeated gallstone attacks and symptoms that impact your quality of life, most physicians will recommend surgically removing the gallbladder.

At Brookings Health System, gallbladder removal is a same-day surgical procedure. To help patients have a quicker recovery with less pain, most gallbladder procedures at Brookings Health are performed robotically.

The da Vinci Xi robotic-assisted surgery system gives our surgeons improved access to internal anatomy for gall bladder removal. It features Firefly fluorescence imaging which allows surgeons to switch between visible light and near-infrared imaging. During gallbladder removal, Firefly technology helps surgeons assess the ducts that connect to the gallbladder for bile transport, making their surgical procedure more precise.

Patients typically go home the same day after gallbladder surgery. Most whose gallbladder was removed robotically are back to normal daily activities after a week. Your body can function well without a gallbladder, although you may notice some digestive issues after the procedure that typically resolve themselves within time.

If you have any signs or symptoms of gallstones that worry you, make an appointment with your primary care provider. They can order tests to determine if you have gallstones and refer you to a surgeon who can perform your procedure at Brookings Health System.