Condition Lookup
Sub-Category:
Biliary Tract Disorders
Number of Conditions: 2
Choledocholithiasis (Bile Duct Stones)
Specialty: Gastrointestinal
Category: Gallbladder and Biliary Tract Disorders
Sub-category: Biliary Tract Disorders
Symptoms:
right upper quadrant abdominal pain; jaundice; dark urine; pale stools; nausea; vomiting; fever (if cholangitis develops)
Root Cause:
Obstruction of the bile duct by gallstones, leading to impaired bile flow.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Blood tests (elevated bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, and liver enzymes); imaging studies like ultrasound, MRCP (magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography), or ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography).
Treatment:
ERCP to remove stones; in some cases, surgery or lithotripsy may be needed.
Medications:
Pain relievers (NSAIDs like ibuprofen or opioids like morphine ), antibiotics if infection is present (e.g., ciprofloxacin or metronidazole ).
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Approximately 10-20% of individuals with gallstones develop bile duct stones.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
History of gallstones, older age, obesity, rapid weight loss, female sex, family history.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Good with timely treatment; recurrence may occur without addressing risk factors.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Cholangitis, pancreatitis, bile duct strictures, liver abscesses.
Cholangitis (Infection of the Bile Ducts)
Specialty: Gastrointestinal
Category: Gallbladder and Biliary Tract Disorders
Sub-category: Biliary Tract Disorders
Symptoms:
fever; chills; right upper quadrant abdominal pain; jaundice; dark urine; nausea; vomiting; hypotension (in severe cases)
Root Cause:
Bacterial infection due to bile duct obstruction, typically caused by stones, strictures, or tumors.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Diagnosed through clinical signs (Charcot's triad), elevated liver function tests, imaging like ultrasound or MRCP, and sometimes blood cultures to confirm infection.
Treatment:
ERCP to relieve obstruction; broad-spectrum antibiotics (e.g., piperacillin-tazobactam, ceftriaxone, metronidazole).
Medications:
Broad-spectrum antibiotics, typically from the penicillin or cephalosporin family, combined with anti-anaerobic agents (e.g., metronidazole ); antipyretics like acetaminophen .
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
More common in individuals with a history of gallstones; incidence is 0.3-1.6 per 1,000 hospital admissions.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Gallstones, bile duct strictures, history of bile duct surgery, endoscopic procedures, malignancy.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Good with early intervention; mortality is high in untreated cases or septic shock.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Sepsis, liver abscesses, recurrent infections, secondary biliary cirrhosis.