[Uncomplicated gallstone disease and pregnancy]

P Nørgaard1, V B Kristiansen, J Rosenberg

  • 1Kirurgisk afdeling D, Amtssygehuset i Glostrup.

Pregnancy is associated with an increased incidence of gallstones. However, most gallstones disappear spontaneously after pregnancy without having given any symptoms. New knowledge regarding the pathophysiology confirms changes in the motility of the gallbladder and the flow dynamics and lithogenicity of the bile. The studies have also shown, that these changes resolve completely after labour, which might explain the disappearance of most of the gallstones. These conditions support a conservative attitude towards treatment of gallstone disease during pregnancy. In case cholecystectomy is indicated, laparoscopic intervention seems safe during pregnancy and most optimal during the second trimester where the organogenesis of the fetus is completed and where the size of the uterus does not interfere with the operation technically. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy should under all circumstances be done in departments with routine in laparoscopic operations and with the possibility of gynaecological assistance, in case it is needed.

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