Digestive system >>>> Cholangitis

Cholangitis.

The inflammatory process that develops in the intrahepatic or extrahepatic bile ducts is called cholangitis.

There are many reasons for cholangitis:

inflammation of the gallbladder, which spreads over time to the bile ducts;
tendency to gallstone disease;
narrowing of the bile ducts as a result of abnormal development, scarring or other reasons, contributing to the stagnation of bile;
parasitic infections;
bacterial infections;
autoimmune processes;
tumors of the bile ducts.

There is primary sclerosing cholangitis, a disease that has an autoimmune background and a genetic predisposition.

Signs of cholangitis are similar to those of hepatitis A:

Pain develops on the right in the hypochondrium,
The temperature rises (up to 40 in Celsius),
Possible nausea, urge to vomit, dyspeptic disorders,
Appears yellowness of tissues, sclera,
Itching is possible.

As a rule, cholangitis does not develop independently, but is a complication, a secondary disease in relation to other gastroenterological or infectious diseases. But with mechanical damage to the bile ducts due to the passage or blockage of the ducts with stones, narrowing of the ducts as a result of scarring can develop as an independent disease.

Acute cholangitis is rapid and symptoms appear suddenly. Chronic cholangitis develops with periodic short-term violations of the outflow of bile. After the restoration of the patency of the ducts and the outflow of bile, the symptoms subside: the pain symptom decreases, the yellowness of the tissues. Chronic cholangitis is a recurrent condition.

The diagnosis of cholangitis requires examination of bile through duodenal intubation, examination of the size of the liver, the degree of narrowing of the bile ducts, abnormalities and changes in the structure of the bile ducts, detection of the presence of stones in the gallbladder using ultrasound, MRI or MRI (magnetic resonance cholangiography), and blood chemistry.

Cholangitis treatment includes restoration of bile duct patency and detoxification measures. Identification of infectious agents involves the use of antibacterial or antiparasitic drugs, depending on whether a bacterial or parasitic infection is detected. Ineffective conservative treatment of cholangitis is an indication for surgery. In the absence of purulent inflammation (abscesses), minimally invasive laparoscopic intervention (surgery with an endoscope) is preferred.

Cholangitis is dangerous because the inflammatory process, not treated in time, can be complicated by the development of purulent inflammation of the liver and gallbladder, leading to peritonitis. And the chronization of the process in cholangitis is a direct path to the development of liver cirrhosis.