Gallstone treatment made simpler

Gallstone treatment made simpler

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Many people have died due to incorrect diagnosis when all the
time they simply had gallstones, a condition that is actually
easy to cure, a professor of medicine says.

Internist Laurentius A. Lesmana said in a speech marking his
inauguration as a professor in the University of Indonesia on
Wednesday that people with gallstones were frequently diagnosed
as suffering from digestive disorders, kidney disorders or even
hepatitis due to the almost identical symptoms.

Gallstones in the bile duct turn the patient's eyes and skin
yellow, a symptom commonly exhibited by people suffering from
hepatitis and kidney problems.

Learning from these cases, Lesmana has developed a new method
of diagnosing gallstones over one day so as, hopefully, to avoid
further cases of misdiagnosis.

He said that once gallstones had been detected, all that was
required was a simple procedure to remove the stone through
laparascopic surgery or endoscopic therapy.

"Laparascopic surgery has been developed to deal with
gallstones that are found in the human bile, while endoscopic
therapy is designed to deal with gallstones that have already
moved into the bile duct.

Laparascopic surgery is undertaken by making a small incision
in the stomach wall. The gallstone is removed using a special
instrument called an endoscamera. The whole process is monitored
through a camera.

Meanwhile, endoscopic therapy involves the insertion of an
endescopic instrument through the patient's mouth. This therapy
needs no surgery or anesthesia, Lesmana said, adding that it also
required one day.

"The two methods are particularly suitable for women, elderly
people and those suffering from heart disease, kidney ailments or
lung problems," Lesmana said.

"Gallstones can be found both in the bile and in the bile
duct. The latter is more serious as the stone could poison the
blood and cause other complications," he said.

Gallstones are mostly caused by unhealthy eating habits,
Lesmana warned.

"Food containing too much fat and cholesterol will encourage
the disease," he explained.