Endoscopy & Gallstones

Liver cysts are common incidental findings on routine ultrasound scan of the abdomen. In general, small and simple liver cysts are benign and need no intervention. In fact, such cysts are also commonly found in the kidneys and occasionally in the pancreas. If your mom's liver function test is normal and she does not have other liver related problems such as viral hepatitis, there is very little you need to worry about. Although the liver cysts may grow in size slowly and more cysts may be found over time, most patients remain healthy throughout.

The most important deciding factor for surgery is the presence or absence of symptoms related to the gallstone. It is common to pick up incidental gallstones on routine scans intended for other reasons. However, up to 80% of such gallstones are not producing any symptoms and are best left alone. For stones which are causing pain or discomfort, the current recommendation is surgical removal. The reason for the above recommendation is essentially a balance between the potential benefit and harm with the surgical approach versus that of leaving the gallstones alone.

The primary function of the gallbladder is to temporarily store and, at the same time, concentrate the bile juice within. Unknown to many, bile juice is secreted by the liver and not the gallbladder. After leaving the liver, the bile juice enters and leaves the gallbladder through the cystic duct which connects the liver ducts to the gallbladder. We now understand that the gallbladder functions very similarly to a store room for spare bile. As such, removing the gallbladder will not have a great impact on one’s health and certainly should not cause a drastic deterioration.

In general, gallstones do not disappear easily without any treatment. In fact, once gallstones developed, they tend to increase in size and numbers over the years. The good news is that most patients with gallstones remained well without symptoms and the current recommendation for these cases is to maintain vigilance. In approximately 10 to 15% chance, people with gallstones develop abdominal discomfort or pain. If there is no other plausible explanation for the pain, surgical removal of the gallstones and the gallbladder is the recommended treatment.

I am sorry to hear that. This is indeed a tough question and I am not sure if I can provide a satisfactory answer. You must be aware that despite undergoing the same rigorous training which qualifies a doctor to perform a particular procedure, each of us has different skill-sets and strengths, which defines our ability to perform procedures in the safest and most comfortable manner.

Hi Ding Lee, Endoscopy is a technique widely employed by different medical specialties to investigate problems arising from the different organ systems in our body. These organ systems include the nose & throat by ENT specialists, the urinary tract by urologists and most common of all, the digestive tract by gastroenterologists. So it is understandable to get a little mixed up with the different types of endoscopes available. I will highlight the commonly used endoscopes below and try to explain more on their functions.