About 15% of Americans have gallbladder stones, the most common gallbladder disorder. The team of gallbladder specialists at Newtown Gastroenterology offers complete care for gallbladder stones and other gallbladder disorders, from
in-office ultrasound assessments to advanced treatments. There are four offices in New York City, including locations in Elmhurst and Flushing in Queens, Sunset Park in Brooklyn, and Chinatown in Manhattan. Call the office nearest you or click on the online booking feature now.
Gallbladder disorders develop when your gallbladder— the organ beneath your liver — can’t store or release bile normally. Bile, which is created by your liver, is a fluid that helps you digest fat and protein.
Usually, your gallbladder stores bile and releases it through the bile duct system when your small intestine needs it for digestion. However, bile duct blockages, inflammation, and other issues can lead to a variety of different gallbladder disorders that cause difficult symptoms and disrupt normal digestion.
There are many gallbladder disorders, including:
Gallstones
Gallstones develop when extra bile remains in the gallbladder, forms lumps, and hardens into pebbles. These gallstones can get stuck in the gallbladder or bile duct system and may cause symptoms like pain in the upper right abdomen. Gallstones are the most common gallbladder disorder.
Cholecystitis
Cholecystitis is gallbladder inflammation. It may occur because of infection, a blockage, or other problems but is most commonly caused by gallstones that prevent normal bile flow. Long-term, cholecystitis can lead to scarring, tissue death, and tissue tearing (rupture). This can spread infection throughout your abdomen and can be very serious.
Biliary dyskinesia
Biliary dyskinesia occurs when your gallbladder can’t ferry bile into the bile ducts due to muscle or nerve malfunction. As with gallstones, this can lead to bile backup and cholecystitis.
Polyps
Polyps are growths inside the gallbladder lining. Most polyps are benign (noncancerous), but rarely, they may be malignant (cancerous).
Gallbladder disorder management begins with a complete gallbladder evaluation. The Newtown Gastroenterology team carefully reviews your symptoms and performs a diagnostic ultrasound study to evaluate your gallbladder. Depending on your symptoms and the suspected problem, you might need other diagnostic tests, like FibroScan® GO, to assess liver health.
The team is skilled in managing gallbladder disorders. From pain medication to antibiotics (for infections) to in-office procedures to remove gallstones, there is a full spectrum of solutions.
Severe gallbladder disease is often best treated with surgical gallbladder removal. But you can live without your gallbladder because the liver simply starts releasing bile continually in small amounts since there’s no storage vehicle anymore.
To get gallbladder help from the leading gallbladder specialists in New York, call Newtown Gastroenterology or book an appointment online today.
