CEN Cholecystitis

CEN Cholecystitis Overview

Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder. Your gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of your abdomen, beneath your liver. The gallbladder holds a digestive fluid that’s released into your small intestine (bile).

In most cases, gallstones blocking the tube leading out of your gallbladder cause cholecystitis. This results in a bile buildup that can cause inflammation. Other causes of cholecystitis include bile duct problems, tumors, serious illness and certain infections.

If left untreated, cholecystitis can lead to serious, sometimes life-threatening complications, such as a gallbladder rupture. Treatment for cholecystitis often involves gallbladder removal.

Signs and Symptoms

• Severe pain in your upper right or center abdomen
• Pain that spreads to your right shoulder or back
• Tenderness over your abdomen when it’s touched
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Fever

Causes

• Gallstones. Most often, cholecystitis is the result of hard particles that develop in your gallbladder (gallstones). Gallstones can block the tube (cystic duct) through which bile flows when it leaves the gallbladder. Bile builds up, causing inflammation.
• Tumor. A tumor may prevent bile from draining out of your gallbladder properly, causing bile buildup that can lead to cholecystitis.
• Bile duct blockage. Kinking or scarring of the bile ducts can cause blockages that lead to cholecystitis.
• Infection. AIDS and certain viral infections can trigger gallbladder inflammation.
• Blood vessel problems. A very severe illness can damage blood vessels and decrease blood flow to the gallbladder, leading to cholecystitis.

Risk Factors

Having gallstones is the main risk factor for developing cholecystitis.

Complications

• Infection within the gallbladder. If bile builds up within your gallbladder, causing cholecystitis, the bile may become infected.
• Death of gallbladder tissue. Untreated cholecystitis can cause tissue in the gallbladder to die (gangrene). It’s the most common complication, especially among older people, those who wait to get treatment, and those with diabetes. This can lead to a tear in the gallbladder, or it may cause your gallbladder to burst.
• Torn gallbladder. A tear (perforation) in your gallbladder may result from gallbladder swelling, infection or death of tissue.

Treatment

Treatment for cholecystitis usually involves a hospital stay to control the inflammation in your gallbladder. Sometimes, surgery is needed.

Treatments may include:

• Fasting. You may not be allowed to eat or drink at first in order to take stress off your inflamed gallbladder.
• Fluids through a vein in your arm. This treatment helps prevent dehydration.
• Antibiotics to fight infection. If your gallbladder is infected, your doctor likely will recommend antibiotics.
• Pain medications. These can help control pain until the inflammation in your gallbladder is relieved.
• Procedure to remove stones. Your doctor may perform a procedure called endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) to remove any stones blocking the bile ducts or cystic duct.