What is gallbladder polyp?
Gallbladder polyps are abnormal growths on the gallbladder, the organ that stores and releases bile from the liver to aid digestion. Gallbladder polyps are seldom cancerous. Gallbladder polyps are growths or lesions that form on the inner lining of the gallbladder.
What are the symptoms of gallbladder polyps?
When symptoms of gallbladder polyps do occur, they may include: Abdominal pain on the upper right side. Indigestion. Nausea. Vomiting. Bloating. Back or shoulder pain.
What are the risk factors for developing gallbladder polyps?
High salt levels in the bile. Thickening of the gallbladder wall (adenomyomatosis) Risk factors for developing gallbladder polyps include: Gallstones. Genetic predisposition. Obesity. Gardner syndrome, a type of familial polyposis. Peutz-Jeghers syndrome, a genetic condition. Hepatitis B infection.
What is the risk of polyps?
Polyps that measure less than a half inch in diameter are usually benign. Polyps larger than a half inch in diameter have a higher risk of becoming malignant (developing into cancer) Polyps larger than three-fourths of an inch have a high probability of being malignant.
Can gallbladder polyps cause cancer?
Most gallbladder polyps do not cause any symptoms or complications. The main complication of gallbladder polyps is gallbladder cancer, which occurs in about 5% of cases.
How to remove gallbladder?
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy is the recommended approach to remove the gallbladder. Surgery is performed under a general anaesthetic using four small incisions. All surgery is performed inside the abdomen with the entire gallbladder containing the polyp is removed.
What age do you get gallbladder polyps?
It is unclear as to what causes gallbladder polyps, but malignant polyps are associated with an age >60 years, gallstones, and primary sclerosing cholangitis.
How many people have gallbladder polyps?
Roughly 4-6% of the population have gallbladder polyps and are found by accident when investigating for other conditions. Polyps can be cancerous, but about 95% of gallbladder polyps are benign. The size of a gallbladder polyp can help predict whether it's cancerous (malignant) or noncancerous (benign). Small gallbladder polyps that are less ...
What is the gallbladder?
The gallbladder is a small sac which lies beneath the liver and acts as a reservoir to store bile. Bile is made by the liver and contains bile pigments, bile salts, lipids and cholesterol which are released into the duodenum (first part of the small bowel) to help digest fats. Gallbladder polyps are growths that protrude from the lining ...
Can gallbladder polyps be cancerous?
Small gallbladder polyps that are less than 10mm are unlikely to be cancerous and generally don't require treatment. However, for these polyps, your doctor may suggest follow-up examinations to look for changes that may be an indication of cancer. This can be done using standard abdominal ultrasound or endoscopic ultrasound.
Can gallstones be found in ultrasound?
Sometimes however, patients can present with abdominal pain, nausea and an ultrasound scan may identify polyps that are actually small gallstones. Your surgeon will decide on whether you are more likely to have gallstones when he takes your history.
Can gallbladder polyps be detected by ultrasound?
Gallbladder polyps are most commonly diagnosed with an ultrasound scan of the abdomen. Gallbladder polyps usually do not cause any symptoms and are only discovered by chance while testing for other conditions. Sometimes however, patients can present with abdominal pain, nausea and an ultrasound scan may identify polyps that are actually small gallstones.
