Welcome to Gallstones

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Welcome to Gallstones
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• Welcome to the university. No parents nagging,
  no attendance slips to have signed, classes are
  all interesting and fun, life is great because
  you are sailing your own ship. Life is great
  except for that pain in your gut. It has been
  hurting off and on for more than a week now. In
  fact, at times, it is pretty painful. You decide
  to go to the health services on campus because
  you remember reading about health care being
  included in some package with tuition or
  something.

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• The doctor suspects that your condition is caused
  by gallstones. Studies suggest that as many as
  one quarter of North Americans/Europeans will
  develop gallstones at some time in their lives.
  If you are female, you are 2.5 times more likely
  to be afflicted than your counterpart. You are
  referred to a specialist where you will need
  imaging (CPT code 78223) and follow up depending
  on the results. You may have several choices.

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• Which do you choose and what will each choice
  cost you?
• Ignore the pain. Maybe it will go away. (In
  1558, the earliest recorded description of
  gallstone related symptoms, Jean Fernel in
  Universa Medicina wrote Sometimes there is so
  much surplus bile that the bladder is stretched
  to an enormous size. If the disease sets in,
  there arise pressure, pain, and difficulty of
  breathing even vomiting, thirst, hotness and
  restlessness after a while, pus formation and
  intermittent fever. Then, the disease becomes
  serious.)
• Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (CPT code 47562)
• Endoscopic lithotripsy (CPT code 43265)
• Open cholecystectomy (CPT code 47600)
• Oral bile acid dissolution therapy (no CPT code
  listed currently)
• Contact dissolution therapy (no CPT code listed
  currently)
• Clinical trial currently recruiting Study of
  Inborn Errors of Cholesterol Synthesis and
  Related Disorders. As part of the study,
  gallstones will be removed free of charge. In
  fact, if you qualify, all costs associated with
  the travel and your subsequent health care as
  related to the procedure may be completely
  covered. (See information) http//www.clinicaltri
  als.gov/ct/show/NCT00046202?order2