Pancreatitis & Gallstone Treatment in Ahmedabad

Pancreatitis & Gallstone Treatment in Ahmedabad – EPIC Multispecialty Hospital

Few abdominal conditions cause as much acute suffering as a gallstone attack or an episode of pancreatitis. The pain is visceral, severe, and impossible to ignore – and for good reason. Gallstones and pancreatitis are not conditions to manage cautiously from the sidelines. They need accurate diagnosis, the right intervention at the right time, and specialist expertise in both endoscopic and surgical treatment.

EPIC Multispecialty Hospital, Ahmedabad provides comprehensive pancreatitis and gallstone treatment in Ahmedabad – with dedicated gastroenterologists and GI surgeons working together to manage acute and chronic pancreatitis, gallstone disease (cholelithiasis), bile duct stones (choledocholithiasis), and biliary complications through the most effective and minimally invasive approaches available.

Understanding Gallstones – Causes, Types, and Complications

Gallstones form when substances in bile – cholesterol, bilirubin, and bile salts – crystallise in the gallbladder. The majority are cholesterol stones; a minority are pigment stones associated with haemolytic diseases or chronic liver disease. Gallstones are very common – present in approximately 10–15% of adults – but only a minority ever cause symptoms.

Biliary Colic

Biliary colic is the pain caused when a gallstone temporarily blocks the cystic duct – producing intense, cramping pain in the right upper abdomen, often radiating to the back or right shoulder tip, typically lasting 30 minutes to several hours and then resolving. It is triggered by fatty meals and requires treatment – because a patient who has had biliary colic will almost certainly have further attacks.

Acute Cholecystitis

Acute cholecystitis occurs when a gallstone becomes lodged in the cystic duct, causing gallbladder inflammation, fever, persistent right upper quadrant pain, and raised inflammatory markers (CRP, white cell count). Treatment is IV antibiotics, analgesia, and early laparoscopic cholecystectomy within 72 hours of onset for most patients – earlier surgery is associated with lower complication rates.

Choledocholithiasis – Bile Duct Stones

When gallstones migrate into the common bile duct (choledocholithiasis), they cause obstructive jaundice, biliary colic, cholangitis (bile duct infection), or acute pancreatitis. Bile duct stones are managed endoscopically by ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography) with sphincterotomy and stone extraction – followed by laparoscopic cholecystectomy to remove the gallbladder.

Pancreatitis – Acute and Chronic

Acute Pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis is inflammation of the pancreas – most commonly caused by gallstones (40–50% of cases) or excess alcohol (25–35%). It presents with severe epigastric pain radiating to the back, nausea, vomiting, and fever. Severity is assessed using Revised Atlanta Classification and scoring systems (APACHE II, BISAP, Ranson’s criteria). Mild acute pancreatitis resolves with IV fluids, analgesia, and early enteral nutrition. Severe or necrotising pancreatitis – with pancreatic necrosis and multi-organ failure – requires ICU-level care.

Chronic Pancreatitis

Chronic pancreatitis is progressive, irreversible fibrosis and destruction of pancreatic tissue – causing persistent abdominal pain, exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (malabsorption, steatorrhoea), and endocrine insufficiency (diabetes mellitus). The most common causes in India are alcohol, tropical pancreatitis (idiopathic), and hereditary pancreatitis. EPIC Hospital manages chronic pancreatitis with pain management, pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT), endoscopic pancreatic duct decompression (ERCP with stenting), and surgery for complications

Pancreatic Pseudocyst

Pancreatic pseudocysts are fluid collections that form after acute or chronic pancreatitis. Symptomatic or enlarging pseudocysts are drained endoscopically (EUS-guided cyst gastrostomy – placing a stent between the cyst and the stomach or duodenum) at EPIC Hospital – avoiding open surgery in most cases.