Asymptomatic Gallstones (AsGS)  To Treat or Not to?

Dr. Kumar Akash; Dr. Prof. Upendra Nath

Volume : V, Issue : XI, November - 2015

Asymptomatic Gallstones (AsGS) To Treat or Not to?

Dr. Kumar Akash, Dr. Prof. Upendra Nath

Abstract :

 The increasingly frequent detection of gallstones (GS) due to ubiquitous availability and use of diagnostic ultrasound for a wide range of abdominal complaints as well as ‘routine check–ups’, coupled with the recent advent and rapid establishment of laparoscopic cholecystectomy as the gold standard treatment of GS has refocussed attention on the issue of asymptomatic gallstones (AsGS). The clinical challenge in decision–making is to balance the projected prognosis of expectant management versus the risk, effort, inconvenience and cost of an immediate treatment ‘for a particular patient’. By definition, a procedure is considered appropriate if its health benefits exceed its health risks by a sufficiently wide margin, thus making the procedure worth performing. This review will attempt to summarize the information available in the literature regarding the natural history of AsGS in general as well as in special clinical situations.