What is Biliary Disease / Gallstones?
Biliary disorders are medical conditions affecting the liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts. They occur when the normal flow of bile—a digestive fluid—is blocked, slowed, or disrupted.
Common Types of Biliary Disorders
- Gallstones: Hard deposits of material that form in the gallbladder when bile contains excessive cholesterol or bilirubin.
- Cholecystitis: Painful swelling and inflammation of the gallbladder, most often caused by a trapped gallstone.
- Bile Duct Stones (Choledocholithiasis): A painful condition that develops when a gallstone moves out of the gallbladder and into the main bile duct.
- Cholangitis: A dangerous bacterial infection of the bile ducts triggered by a sudden blockage.
- Biliary Strictures: An abnormal narrowing of the bile ducts that blocks the flow of bile from the liver into the small intestine.
- Bile Duct Cancer (Cholangiocarcinoma): A rare and serious disease where malignant cells form in the thin tubes carrying digestive bile.
Symptoms
- Upper right abdominal pain
- Nausea or vomiting
- Rapid weight loss
- Pain after eating fatty foods
- Loss of appetite
- Jaundice
Causes & Risk Factors
Biliary disease may develop when substances in bile, such as cholesterol or bilirubin, become imbalanced and harden over time. Risk factors include obesity, rapid weight loss, pregnancy, diabetes, high-cholesterol diets, and family history.
Gastroenterological Diagnosis & Treatment
Advanced endoscopic procedures such as EUS (Endoscopic Ultrasound) and ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography) are widely used by our specialists to accurately diagnose, evaluate, and directly treat conditions affecting the biliary system and bile ducts.