Cholecystitis

By Mayo Clinic staff

Gallbladder and bile duct

Cholecystitis (ko-luh-sis-TIE-tis) is an inflammation of the gallbladder. Your gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ
on the right side of your abdomen, just beneath your liver. The gallbladder holds a digestive fluid called bile that's
released into your small intestine.

In many cases, cholecystitis is caused by gallstones that block the tube leading out of your gallbladder. This results in
a buildup of bile that can cause inflammation. Other causes of cholecystitis include infection, injury and tumors.

If left untreated, cholecystitis can lead to serious complications, such as tissue damage, tears in your gallbladder and
infection that spreads to other parts of your body. Once diagnosed, cholecystitis requires a hospital stay. Treatment
for cholecystitis often eventually includes gallbladder removal.

Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of cholecystitis may include:
 Severe, steady pain in the upper right part of your abdomen that, if left untreated, may last several hours or
days and gets worse when you breathe deeply
 Pain that radiates from your abdomen to your right shoulder or back
 Tenderness over your abdomen when it's touched
 Sweating
 Nausea
 Vomiting
 Loss of appetite
 Fever
 Chills
 Abdominal bloating
Cholecystitis signs and symptoms usually occur after a meal, particularly a large meal or a meal high in fat.

Causes

Your gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of your abdomen, just beneath your liver. The
gallbladder holds fluid called bile that's released after you eat, particularly after you eat high-fat foods, to aid
digestion. Bile travels out of your gallbladder through a small tube called the cystic duct, to another tube called the
common bile duct, and then into your small intestine. Cholecystitis occurs when your gallbladder becomes inflamed.

Cholecystitis may occur suddenly (acute cholecystitis), or it may develop slowly over time (chronic cholecystitis).
Causes of cholecystitis include:
 Gallstones. The vast majority of cholecystitis cases are the result of gallstones that block the cystic duct,
causing bile to build up and resulting in gallbladder inflammation.
 Injury. Injury to your gallbladder — particularly injury that happens as a result of trauma to your abdomen or
surgery — may cause cholecystitis.
 Infection. An infection within the bile can lead to gallbladder inflammation.
 Tumor. A tumor may prevent bile from draining out of your gallbladder properly, causing bile buildup that can
lead to cholecystitis.
Cholecystitis can lead to a number of serious complications, including:
 Gallbladder distention. If your gallbladder becomes inflamed due to bile buildup, it may stretch and swell
beyond its normal size (hydrops), which can cause pain and increase the risk of a tear (perforation) in your
gallbladder, as well as infection and tissue death.

 Infection. If bile builds up within your gallbladder, causing cholecystitis, the bile may become infected
(empyema). This infection can increase the risk of a tear in your gallbladder that could allow the infection to spread
to your blood or to other parts of your body.

 Tissue death. Untreated cholecystitis can cause tissue in the gallbladder to die (gangrene), which in turn can
lead to a tear in the gallbladder, or it may cause your gallbladder to burst.

 Perforation. A tear (perforation) in your gallbladder may be caused by gallbladder distention or gangrene
that occurs as a result of cholecystitis.

 Treatments and drugs

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy


 If you're diagnosed with cholecystitis, you'll be admitted to the hospital. Once you're in the hospital, you
may not be allowed to eat or drink, and you may be given liquids through an intravenous (IV) line. Your
doctor may recommend medication for pain relief and antibiotics to fight infection.
 Surgery to remove the gallbladder (cholecystectomy)
Because cholecystitis frequently recurs, most people diagnosed with cholecystitis eventually require
gallbladder removal.
 If you have complications of cholecystitis, such as a gangrene or perforation of your gallbladder, you may
need to have surgery immediately. If you have an infection, you may require placement of a temporary tube
through your skin into the gallbladder to drain the infection.
 If you don't have complications, your doctor may recommend cholecystectomy within several days or a few
weeks, depending on your situation.
 Cholecystectomy is most commonly performed using a tiny video camera to see inside your abdomen and
special surgical tools to remove the gallbladder (laparoscopic cholecystectomy). The tools and camera are
inserted through four incisions in your abdomen, and the surgeon watches a monitor while guiding the tools
during surgery.
 Once your gallbladder is removed, bile flows directly from your liver into your small intestine, rather than
being stored in your gallbladder. You don't need your gallbladder to live, and gallbladder removal doesn't
affect your ability to digest food, although it can cause diarrhea.

Reference:

MayoClinic.com: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cholecystitis/DS01153/DSECTION=complications

Retrieved March 9, 2010