Diagnosis
Biliary colic is usually easy to diagnose due to the typical swelling and declining pain. Only a renal colic on the right side would cause similar pain as an inflammation of the gall bladder or gallstones. An inflammation of the gall bladder is indicated by the pain when pressing on the bile region under the costal arch during the physical examination.
For confirmation, doctors usually perform an ultrasound examination (= sonography). Stones and a gallbladder wall thickened by the inflammation are usually clearly visible on the screen during an ultrasound examination and ensure the correct diagnosis. Signs of the inflammation can also be detected in the blood.
Important markers here are the so-called blood sedimentation rate and CRP. Liver values give an indication of whether the bile stasis already extends into the liver. In still unclear cases, the doctor can also examine the bile duct and the gall bladder with an examination similar to a gastroscopy, with the difference that a camera is used instead of an ultrasound probe.
This examination is called endosonography. In unclear cases, an MRI of the liver can also be performed. When the MRI of the liver is performed, the gallbladder is also included in the imaging, so an inflammation of the gallbladder can also be identified by the MRI.
The therapy of choice for inflammation of the gallbladder is its surgical removal within a few days (=collecystectomy). An operation during the inflammation is only performed in exceptional cases. Instead, it is preferred a few days later, when the inflammation has already subsided, as fewer complications then occur.
The operation is usually no longer performed through a large incision in the abdomen but through several small incisions through which thin instruments and a camera are inserted. This type of surgery is called laparoscopy and the removal of the gall bladder cholecystectomy. Until the operation, patients are treated with painkillers and are given additional medication to relax the muscles of the bile ducts, thus allowing the colic to subside.
Very rarely, patients cannot be operated on and are treated without surgery. However, this type of treatment is associated with high complications such as rupture of the gall bladder or its death (lat. necrosis) and should therefore remain the exception, as bile in the abdomen can quickly cause a life-threatening clinical picture, the so-called peritonitis (lat.
peritonitis, peritoneum=peritoneum). This incident must therefore always be avoided. If only small stones are the cause of the symptoms, there is the so-called ERCP (=endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography).
Similar to a gastroscopy, a tube is inserted into the duodenum and the bile ducts and stones can even be removed directly with a small tool. The heat pads used to alleviate biliary colic should never be used again in the case of a gall bladder inflammation with or without fever, since an inflammation in itself means overheating, which should not be intensified. From the range of medicinal plants, fumitory, caraway, fennel or goosefoil are suitable for biliary colic.
Marigold, chamomile, devil’s claw or bearberry can also alleviate the inflammation. The herbs are mainly recommended as tea and can often be purchased as a finished product.If gallstones are present, those medicinal plants that promote the flow of bile should be avoided, as the gall bladder is already irritated and no additional aggressive bile should be added. Until the operation, patients are treated with painkillers and are given additional medication that relaxes the muscles of the bile ducts, thus allowing the colic to subside.
Very rarely, patients cannot be operated on and are treated without surgery. However, this type of treatment is associated with high complications such as rupture of the gall bladder or its death (lat. necrosis) and should therefore remain the exception, as bile in the abdomen can quickly cause a life-threatening clinical picture, the so-called peritonitis (lat.
peritonitis, peritoneum=peritoneum). This incident must therefore always be avoided. If only small stones are the cause of the symptoms, there is the so-called ERCP (=endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreaticography).
Similar to a gastroscopy, a tube is inserted into the duodenum and the bile ducts and stones can even be removed directly with a small tool. The heat pads used to alleviate biliary colic should never be used again in the case of a gall bladder inflammation with or without fever, since an inflammation in itself means overheating, which should not be intensified. From the range of medicinal plants, fumitory, caraway, fennel or goosefoil are suitable for biliary colic.
Marigold, chamomile, devil’s claw or bearberry can also alleviate the inflammation. The herbs are mainly recommended as tea and can often be purchased as a finished product. If gallstones are present, those medicinal plants that promote the flow of bile should be avoided, as the gall bladder is already irritated and no additional aggressive bile should be added.