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.