Gall bladder

[camytram]

Had my gall bladder removed last year. Had the same symtoms this year and had an ERCP cone. Couldn't find a stone. Put a stent in my bile in case one was left over from last year.  Said I could possibly continue creating new stones.
How is that possible without a gallbladder?

[camytram]

When I went to the hospital I was also jaundiced and my urine was a rusty color and after having a cat scan and blood work they treated me for pancreatitis and did the ERCP.. They thought the Stone had passed by the time  I had the ERCP cause they couldn't find it.

[Christopher R Watters, MD]

There are several reasons that patients can have similar pain after removal of the gallbladder. The timing of presentation affects the orer of the list. Within a year of surgery a retained stone (i.e. an unsuspected one left behind in the bile duct) would be more common than a new one. Approximately 1% of patients will eventually make a new stone within the bile duct. These are typically pigment stones that for because of mild infection and the action of the bacteria on bilirubin. Most stones in th gallbladder are predominately made of cholesterol. I am assuming that yur liver function tests were elevated to justify the ERCP as this would not typically be the first test because of the potential for complications. Usually, a specialized version of an MRI scan (MRCP) is done to rule out stones in the common bile duct. This is noninvasive, doesn't radiate the patient, and has no chance of causing pancreatitis like ERCP does. A study of patients that had recurrent pain after gallbladder surgery showed that over half had cuses that could be identified with various imaging studies. About a quarter were foud to have dysfunction of the Sphincter of Oddi which is what controls the release of bile from the bile duct to the intestine. The stent is also rather unusual if no stone or stricture was seen.