Cholecystitis: Treatments

How is cholecystitis treated?

Treatment for cholecystitis begins with seeking medical care from your health care provider. To determine if you have cholecystitis, your health care provider may ask you to provide blood samples and undergo diagnostic tests.

Although acute cholecystitis may resolve on its own, it is more common for people with cholecystitis to be hospitalized and given antibiotics to prevent infection. Food intake is usually stopped, and intravenous fluids are administered to let the digestive system rest. In addition, medications may be administered for severe abdominal pain.

Many people with cholecystitis will need to undergo surgery to remove the gallbladder (cholecystectomy). Because the gallbladder is not an essential organ, most people who have had a cholecystectomy can live a normal life afterwards.

What are the potential complications of cholecystitis?

You can help minimize your risk of serious complications by following the treatment plan that you and your health care professional design specifically for you. Complications of cholecystitis include:

• Bile duct injury
• Gallbladder infection, including gallbladder empyema (pus in the gallbladder)
• Gallbladder perforation
• Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas)
• Peritonitis (an infection of the lining that surrounds the abdomen)
• Sepsis (a life-threatening bacterial blood infection)

References:

Acute cholecystitis. MedlinePlus, a service of the National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000264.htm. Accessed May 7, 2011.

Chronic cholecystitis. MedlinePlus, a service of the National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000217.htm. Accessed May 7, 2011.