Nov 2nd, 2022 - Overview What is peritonitis? Your peritoneum is a thin membrane that lines the inside of your belly (abdomen) and wraps around the organs inside. Peritonitis is the term for inflammation of the peritoneum. The tissues can become inflamed if they’re exposed to irritating or infected body fluids. This usually happens when something inside leaks or breaks. Infection is the most common cause of pe...

Sep 19th, 2022 - Overview What is choledocholithiasis? Choledocholithiasis is the condition of having a gallstone (or stones) in your common bile duct. “Choledocho” is the Latin term for the common bile duct, and “lithiasis” means stones. Gallstones are pebble-like pieces of concentrated bile materials. They can develop in any place bile flows through. What is choledocholithiasis vs. cholelithiasis? You may hav...

Sep 12th, 2022 - Overview Lynch syndrome puts you at a high risk of developing cancer because your mismatch repair gene doesn’t have the tools to fix changes to your DNA. What is Lynch syndrome? Lynch syndrome is a genetic condition that increases your risk of developing cancer. People diagnosed with Lynch syndrome are more likely to get cancer before 50 years of age. Who does Lynch syndrome affect? Lynch syndr...

Sep 9th, 2022 - Diagnosis To diagnose cholecystis, your health care provider will likely do a physical exam and discuss your symptoms and medical history. Tests and procedures used to diagnose cholecystitis include: Blood tests. Your health care provider may order blood tests to look for signs of an infection or signs of gallbladder problems. Imaging tests that show your gallbladder. Abdominal ultrasound, endo...

Sep 9th, 2022 - Overview Gallbladder and bile duct Open pop-up dialog box Close Gallbladder and bile duct Gallbladder and bile duct The gallbladder holds bile, a yellow-green fluid produced in your liver. Bile flows from your liver into your gallbladder. It's held in the gallbladder until needed to help digest food. When you eat, your gallbladder releases bile into the bile duct. The duct carries the bile to t...

Aug 14th, 2022 - Overview What is autoimmune pancreatitis? Autoimmune pancreatitis occurs when your immune system triggers swelling and inflammation in your pancreas. It happens when your body confuses healthy cells for germs and attacks them. How common is autoimmune pancreatitis? Autoimmune pancreatitis is rare, occurring in less than 1 in 100,000 people. It accounts for only 2% of all cases of long-lasting (...

Aug 7th, 2022 - Overview Subcutaneous fat lies just beneath your skin. What is subcutaneous fat? Subcutaneous fat is a type of fat that’s stored just beneath your skin. Your skin is made up of three layers – the epidermis, dermis and subcutaneous fat. Subcutaneous fat is the deepest layer of your skin. It serves many functions. Subcutaneous fat: Pads your muscles and bones to protect you from bumps and falls. ...

Jul 24th, 2022 - Overview What is biliary dyskinesia? Biliary dyskinesia is a functional disorder that mostly affects your gallbladder. Sometimes it affects the small muscle (sphincter) located where bile from your gallbladder empties into your small intestine. A functional disorder is a problem with the way the organ or muscle functions. (It's different from a mechanical blockage, like a gallstone.) The main f...

Jul 22nd, 2022 - Overview What is vitamin deficiency anemia? Vitamin deficiency anemia is a condition in which your body doesn’t produce enough healthy red blood cells. It happens primarily when you have low levels of vitamin B12 or B9 (folate or folic acid). Instead of producing healthy red blood cells, your body may produce irregularly large red blood cells. These cells can’t carry oxygen throughout your body...

Jul 17th, 2022 - Overview What is primary sclerosing cholangitis? Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a disease of the bile ducts. It causes chronic inflammation in your bile ducts (cholangitis), which eventually causes scarring (sclerosis). Scar tissue in your bile ducts causes them to narrow, which restricts the flow of bile through the ducts (biliary stricture). When bile can’t flow, it backs up into you...

Jul 15th, 2022 - Overview Lynch syndrome is a condition that increases the risk of many kinds of cancer. This condition is passed from parents to children. Families that have Lynch syndrome have more instances of cancer than expected. This might include colon cancer, endometrial cancer and other types of cancer. Lynch syndrome also causes cancers to happen at an earlier age. People with Lynch syndrome may need ...

Jul 11th, 2022 - Overview What is a gastrointestinal perforation? A gastrointestinal perforation is a hole in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Your GI tract is a series of hollow organs that move food and liquids through your body. These organs help digest the things you eat and drink and absorb nutrients. They include your: Esophagus: Connects your mouth and stomach. Stomach: Digests food. Small intestine: Co...

Jul 8th, 2022 - Overview Gallbladder cancer Open pop-up dialog box Close Gallbladder cancer Gallbladder cancer Gallbladder cancer begins in the cells of the gallbladder. Your gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of your abdomen, just beneath your liver. Gallbladder cancer is an abnormal growth of cells that begins in the gallbladder. Your gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the ...

Jul 8th, 2022 - Diagnosis Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography Open pop-up dialog box Close Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) uses a dye to highlight the bile ducts and pancreatic duct on X-ray images. A thin, flexible tube (endoscope) with a camera on the end is passed down your throat a...

Jul 8th, 2022 - Overview Gallbladder cancer Open pop-up dialog box Close Gallbladder cancer Gallbladder cancer Gallbladder cancer begins in the cells of the gallbladder. Your gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the right side of your abdomen, just beneath your liver. Gallbladder cancer is an abnormal growth of cells that begins in the gallbladder. Your gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped organ on the ...

Jul 8th, 2022 - Gallbladder cancer care at Mayo Clinic Mayo Clinic specialists provide expert, personalized care for people with gallbladder cancer. Your Mayo Clinic care team At Mayo Clinic, oncologists, gastroenterologists, radiation oncologists, pathologists and radiologists work as a multidisciplinary team to provide comprehensive care for people with gallbladder cancer. Other professionals are included as...

Jul 1st, 2022 - Diagnosis Your health care provider may suspect Gilbert syndrome if you have unexplained jaundice or if the level of bilirubin is elevated in your blood. Other symptoms that suggest Gilbert syndrome as well as a number of other liver conditions include dark urine and abdominal pain. To rule out more-common liver conditions, your health care provider may order a complete blood count and liver fu...

Jun 27th, 2022 - Overview Do You Have Gallstone Pain? What are gallstones? Gallstones form in your gallbladder, the small, pear-shaped organ where your body stores bile. They are pebble-like pieces of concentrated bile materials. Bile fluid contains cholesterol, bilirubin, bile salts and lecithin. Gallstones are usually made up of cholesterol or bilirubin that collect at the bottom of your gallbladder until the...

May 19th, 2022 - Overview What is hereditary spherocytosis? Hereditary spherocytosis is an inherited blood disorder that causes hemolytic anemia. This anemia happens when your red blood cells break down faster than normal. In hereditary spherocytosis, your red blood cells lose their characteristic disk-like shape, becoming round or spherical cells (spherocytes) that are removed from circulation faster than norm...

May 9th, 2022 - Overview The liver has two main lobes that contain blood vessels: a larger lobe on the right and a smaller lobe on the left. What is liver cancer? Liver cancer is a life-threatening illness and one of the fastest-growing cancer types in the United States. There are two kinds of liver cancer: primary and secondary. Primary cancer starts in your liver. Secondary cancer spreads to your liver from ...