Cholelithiasis and Cholecystitis

Abstract

1. Susan Guralnick, MD 1. Stony Brook University Medical Center Stony Brook, NY Biliary Tract Disease in Children. McEvoy CF, Suchy FJ. Pediatr Clin North Am. 1996; 42: 75–98[OpenUrl][1] Cholelithiasis. Friedman JR, Crawford Kennedy M. eMedicine Specialties, Pediatrics: General Medicine, Gastroenterology. 2009. Available at: http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic381.htm. Accessed June 2009 Cholecystitis. Hebra A, Miller M. eMedicine Specialties, Pediatrics: General Medicine, Gastroenterology. 2008. Available at: http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/927340-overview. Accessed June 2009 Gallbladder Disease. O'Neill J, Grosfeld J, Fonkalsrud E. In: Principles of Pediatric Surgery. 2nd ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2004 Cholelithiasis is an uncommon occurrence in healthy children, with an incidence ranging from 0.15% to 0.22%. The condition is seen more frequently in children who have certain predisposing conditions. Cholelithiasis can occur at any age, including prenatally, but is most common during puberty. Females are at significantly higher risk, with an overall 4:1 female-to-male predominance that increases to 11 to 22:1 during adolescence. Gallstones form when bile is supersaturated with cholesterol or bilirubin to the point that the substances no longer are soluble. This effect, along with bile stasis, allows the cholesterol or calcium bilirubinate crystals to remain in the gallbladder (or ductal system for brown stones) long enough to … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DPediatr%2BClin%2BNorth%2BAm.%26rft.volume%253D42%26rft.spage%253D75%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx