Biliary colic
From Ganfyd
The clinical picture associated with impaction of gallstones in the gallbladder. While it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish biliary colic from acute cholecystitis, and both can be considered as part of a spectrum of gallbladder disease, the features of biliary colic are generally considered to stem from a gallbladder that has been mechanically blocked (usually an impacted stone in the cystic duct). Acute cholecystitis has a greater inflammatory component and is often associated with a superimposed bacterial infection as well.
It is regarded as misnomer because the pain is often constant rather than colicky (in the conventional sense). This reflects the activity of the normal gall bladder which generally stores bile during fasting and only contracts to release it following meals. It therefore does not need require the regular rhythmic contractions associated with other hollow organs such as the intestines and the ureters, which, when obstructed, produce the classical colic picture of pain waxing and waning every several minutes . It can be argued that it is indeed a colic, but that the periodicity of the contractions is in the order of hours rather than minutes.
Features
- Upper abdominal pain - usually epigastrium or right upper quadrant, sometimes radiating to the back.
- Nausea/vomiting
