London Digestion offers a complete service for all aspects of gallstones and their management.

Gallstones, in many cases, do not cause symptoms and are often found on scans performed for other reasons. However, in a significant proportion of people, gallstones can go on to cause symptoms. The commonest of these is pain (biliary colic) which is often severe and occurs in the upper part of the abdomen. Many people suffering this pain need to seek medical attention and often attend the emergency department. These pains are usually intermittent but sometimes the gallbladder can become inflamed and infected from the gallstones (cholecystitis) and this can require antibiotics and even hospital admission. Once people start to get symptoms from gallstones, the problems usually come back even if they initially settle.

Less commonly gallstones can move from the gallbladder into the bile system (bile duct). If this happens it can result in bile system blockage causing jaundice or liver infection and if the stones move out of the bile duct where it joins the intestine (duodenum) this may result in inflammation of the pancreas, a potentially very serious condition.

London Digestion offers definite management of gallstones both in the elective and emergency setting. The usual management of gallstones in the gallbladder that are causing symptoms is removal of the gallbladder using keyhole surgery (laparoscopic surgery). London Digestion offers highly experienced surgical management with over 2000 keyhole cholecystectomy operations performed. These operations can be day surgery cases although some patients will stay overnight. London Digestion also provides endoscopic management of stones in the bile duct (ERCP).
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Specialists in this area
Mr James Gossage
Dr Phil Berry (ERCP)