Digestive system >>>> Pancreatic stones - signs and treatment
Pancreatic stones - signs and treatment.
The formation of calculi (stones) in the pancreas is not uncommon. In recent years, hardware diagnostics has achieved great results in the study of pancreatic tissues and the identification of the smallest particles not only in the ducts of the gland, but also in its parenchymal tissue. Until the moment when it became possible to examine in detail the parenchyma of the pancreas, the question of treating the pathological condition of the pancreas was reduced to the treatment of inflammation, tumors, cysts and other pathological inclusions.
The formation of stones in the pancreas (pancreatolithiasis) is a multifactorial pathology. The main causes of stone formation in the pancreas are attributed to:
- hereditary predisposition to pancreatolithiasis,
- metabolic disorders and calcification of the organ (calcification),
- stagnation in the ducts and tissues of the pancreas itself,
- chronic inflammatory diseases of the pancreas (including alcoholic pancreatitis),
- the presence of mechanical obstacles to the natural outflow of pancreatic secretions due to the formation of cysts, tumors, parenchymal hyperplasia and similar phenomena,
- compression of the pancreas itself by the abdominal organs, which have increased their size as a result of diseases.
Signs of pancreatic stones:
- similar to the symptoms of pancreatitis (acute or chronic),
- pain in the left hypochondrium (unbearable),
- pain can radiate to the left side of the back, to the left side of the thoracic region and even to the side of the left clavicle,
- pain can accompany disturbances in the diet in pancreatitis, and also often accompany intestinal disorders,
- digestive disorders (diarrhea alternating with constipation, flatulence, seething),
- general disturbance of well-being (weakness, sweating, nausea, urge to vomit).
What is the danger of pancreatolithiasis? This pathological condition can disrupt the functions of the pancreas, lead to necrosis of the parenchyma, which may entail the removal of the organ.
Treatment of stone formation in the pancreas is due to the very structure of stones, which are based on calcium. Diet occupies a special place in the conservative treatment of pancreatolithiasis: exclusion from the use of salty and acidic foods, which contribute to the formation of calcium deposits in tissues. There is a need to restore calcium - phosphorus metabolism in tissues (taking vitamin D), taking antispasmodic and analgesic drugs, anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve swelling of the inflamed tissue that prevent the outflow of pancreatic secretions.
Surgical treatment involves the extraction of particularly large stones from the ducts and parenchyma of the pancreas. Stones located in the ducts of the pancreas, in some cases, can be removed with the help of an endoscope with its insertion through the oral cavity into the stomach and into the duodenum, where the mouth of the main duct of the gland allows the apparatus to be inserted into it.
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