Cholecystitis
Original Editors - David Martin from Bellarmine University's Pathophysiology of Complex Patient Problems project.
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Definition/Description[edit | edit source]
Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder and can be acute or chronic (Merck Manual).
Acute Cholecystitis
Inflammation of the gallbladder that develops over hours, usually resulting from a cystic duct obstruction by a gallstone (merck manual).
Chronic Cholecystitis
Chronic Cholecystitis is long standing gall bladder inflammation most always caused by gallstones (Merck Manual)
Cholecystitis often occurs due to untreated gallstones. Gallstones are small, pebble-like substances that develop in the gallbladder. Gallstones occur when liquid stored in the gallbladder is not secreted properly and hardens into pieces of stone-like material. The liquid—called bile—helps the body digest fats. Bile is made in the liver, then stored in the gallbladder until the body needs it. The gallbladder contracts and pushes the bile into a tube—called the common bile duct—that carries it to the small intestine, where it helps with digestion (NDDIC).
Prevalence[edit | edit source]
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Clinical Presentation
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- Right Upper Quadrant Pain and tenderness especially near the right subcostal region
- Low grade fever to high grade fever
- Chills
- Nausea
- Vomitting (Merck Manual)
- Abdominal Pain
- Rigors with rebound tenderness or ileus
- Pain in the back between the shoulder blades (NDDIC)
If a patient presents with any of the following should be advised to see their doctor immediately:
- prolonged pain—more than 5 hours
- nausea and vomiting
- fever—even low-grade—or chills
- yellowish color of the skin or whites of the eyes
- clay-colored stools (NDDIC)
Associated Co-morbidities[edit | edit source]
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Medications[edit | edit source]
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Diagnostic Tests/Lab Tests/Lab Values[edit | edit source]
Cholecystitis is usually diagonsed with the use of ultrasound
The following are also tests that can be used to diagnose cholecystitis
Cholescintigraphy (Merck Manual)- the patient is injected with a small amount of radioactive material and is absorbed by the gallbladder. Then the gall bladder is stimulated to see how well it contracts or if there is an obstrucion within the bile ducts (NDDIC).
Abdominal CT scan
Magnetic Resonance Cholangiography
Complete Blood Cell Count (CBC)
Liver Function Test (Merck Manual)
Causes[edit | edit source]
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Systemic Involvement[edit | edit source]
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Medical Management (current best evidence)[edit | edit source]
Physical Therapy Management (current best evidence)[edit | edit source]
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Alternative/Holistic Management (current best evidence)[edit | edit source]
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Differential Diagnosis[edit | edit source]
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Case Reports[edit | edit source]
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Resources
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Recent Related Research (from Pubmed)[edit | edit source]
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References[edit | edit source]
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