Understanding Gallstones
Gallstone disease is one of the most common digestive problems, affecting around 1 in 10 UK adults. It accounts for roughly a quarter of hospital admissions for acute abdominal pain, making timely diagnosis and treatment essential.
Gallstones and bile duct stones are managed by Mr Ricardo Camprodon, consultant upper GI surgeon, and the multidisciplinary team at RCG Health, using safe, modern, and evidence-based techniques. A particular focus is placed on single-stage laparoscopic treatment, which reduces the need for multiple procedures, lowers complication rates, and supports faster recovery.
What Are Gallstones?
The gallbladder is a small pouch beneath the liver that stores bile, a digestive fluid that helps break down fat. Gallstones form when the chemical components of bile crystallise into solid particles.
Risk factors include:
- Female sex
- Age over 40
- Higher BMI
- Family history
- Pregnancy
- Crohn’s disease or diabetes
- Certain medications
- Rapid weight loss after bariatric surgery
How common are symptoms?
- Many gallstones cause no symptoms (“silent gallstones”)
- About 1 in 10 people with gallstones develop symptoms that require treatment
- In the UK, ~700,000 adults are affected, but only ~65,000 gallbladder operations are performed each year
Symptoms
When a stone blocks bile flow, it can trigger biliary colic: sudden, severe pain in the upper abdomen (often after eating), sometimes spreading to the back or right shoulder. Nausea or vomiting is common.
Another presentation is gallstone dyspepsia, characterised by indigestion, bloating, nausea, belching, or flatulence. While less dramatic, this still indicates gallstone disease.
Complications include:
- Cholecystitis: gallbladder inflammation with persistent pain, fever, and tenderness
- Choledocholithiasis: stones in the bile duct, causing jaundice, dark urine, pale stools, or itching
- Gallstone pancreatitis: severe abdominal pain with vomiting and fever
Diagnosing Gallstones
Diagnosis is usually straightforward:
- Ultrasound – gold-standard test for gallstones
- Blood tests – check for infection or liver/pancreas involvement
- MRCP – detects bile duct stones
- Endoscopic ultrasound/ERCP – now used mainly for treatment rather than routine diagnosis
Treatment Options
Watchful Waiting
Silent gallstones discovered by chance often don’t need treatment.
Lifestyle Measures
Avoiding fatty or heavy meals may reduce mild symptoms, but once gallstones become symptomatic, surgery is usually the definitive treatment.
Gallbladder Surgery (Cholecystectomy)
- Laparoscopic (keyhole) cholecystectomy is the gold standard. It involves small incisions, faster recovery, and same-day or overnight discharge.
- Open surgery is rarely required. Across more than a decade of practice, Mr Camprodon has converted to open surgery only once, reflecting both surgical expertise and the safety of modern laparoscopic methods.
Bile Duct Stones – The Single-Stage Approach
If gallstones move into the bile duct, they can cause infection, jaundice, or pancreatitis. Traditionally, treatment involved two stages: an ERCP to clear the duct, followed by gallbladder removal later.
Mr Camprodon and the RCG Health team instead offer a single-stage procedure: laparoscopic gallbladder removal combined with bile duct exploration.
Advantages include:
- Fewer procedures and fewer anaesthetics
- Lower risk of complications such as ERCP-related pancreatitis
- Shorter hospital stay overall
- Faster return to everyday life
➡️ Evidence consistently shows this is the safest and most efficient way to treat gallstones and bile duct stones in a single admission.
Surgical Expertise and Outcomes
Gallbladder and bile duct operations are performed by Mr Ricardo Camprodon, supported by the wider RCG Health multidisciplinary team.
- Annual volume: 100+ laparoscopic gallbladder operations
- Last 3 years: over 300 procedures completed
- Conversions: only one conversion to open surgery in more than 10 years
- Benchmarking: outcomes consistently exceed UK national averages (verified through NHS Model Hospital data)
- Hospital stay: >90% of patients were discharged the same day or after one night
Results Compared with the National Average
| Measure | RCG Health | National Average* |
|---|---|---|
| Conversion to open | <1% (1 in 10+ years) | 2–5% |
| Same day/overnight discharge | >90% | ~60% |
| Readmission within 30 days | <2% | 5–7% |
* NHS Model Hospital and national audit data
Recovery After Surgery
- Same day: up and walking within hours
- Next day: light activities encouraged
- Back to office work: 1–2 weeks
- Manual work: 3–4 weeks
- Exercise: reintroduced gradually, full activity after 4–6 weeks
- Diet: normal diet can be resumed, with gradual reintroduction of fatty foods
Risks
Gallbladder surgery is very safe, but like all operations, small risks exist:
- Wound infection
- Bruising or bleeding
- Bile leak
- Blood clots (DVT)
- Rarely, bile duct injury
➡️ High surgical volumes, meticulous technique, and enhanced recovery pathways keep these risks low.
Living Without a Gallbladder
Most people live entirely normally after gallbladder removal. Occasionally, short-term loose stools occur but usually resolve.
A small minority (about 1 in 50 to 1 in 100) develop post-cholecystectomy syndrome due to bile acid malabsorption:
- Main symptom: diarrhoea, often after fatty meals
- Treatment: reducing dietary fat and, if needed, cholestyramine sachets to bind bile acids
When to Seek Urgent Help
Seek urgent medical attention if you develop:
- Persistent or worsening abdominal pain
- Fever or chills
- Jaundice (yellowing of skin or eyes)
- Severe vomiting
These may indicate a complication requiring prompt treatment.
Where Private Patients Are Seen
- Spire Little Aston Hospital – Sutton Coldfield
- The Priory Hospital (Circle Health Group) – Edgbaston
📞 07708 029 566 • ✉️ debbieshields.medsec@gmail.com