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Gallbladder Disease

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Pediatric Surgery

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Abstract

The incidence of pediatric gallbladder disease continues to increase with changing risk factors in children. The most common etiology for gallbladder disease is cholelithiasis, which can be secondary to hemolytic or nonhemolytic causes. Gallstones can result in various presentations, including symptomatic cholelithiasis, acute cholecystitis, choledocholithiasis, cholangitis, or biliary pancreatitis. Other acalculous gallbladder pathology is also being diagnosed with increasing frequency in children. These acalculous conditions include gallbladder hydrops, acalculous cholecystitis, biliary dyskinesia, and gallbladder polyps. Each of these conditions can be differentiated with an appropriate diagnostic work-up consisting of a thorough history and physical examination, laboratory evaluation, and a focused radiographic work-up. Ultimately, the management will be dictated by the condition and treatment options and may include antibiotics, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, or a combination of these modalities. The variations in presentation, multiple related conditions, and increasing frequency necessitate that all pediatric providers feel comfortable with the diagnosis and management of gallbladder disease in children.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pediatric Surgery, Texas Children’s Hospital / Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Sohail R. Shah

  2. University of Missouri – Kansas City School of Medicine, Children’s Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO, USA

    George W. Holcomb III

Authors
  1. Sohail R. Shah
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  2. George W. Holcomb III
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Correspondence to Sohail R. Shah .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Our Lady’s Children's Hospital, National Children’s Research Centre, Dublin, Ireland

    Prem Puri

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Shah, S.R., Holcomb, G.W. (2020). Gallbladder Disease. In: Puri, P. (eds) Pediatric Surgery. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38482-0_112-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-38482-0_112-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-38482-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-38482-0

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