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Bile Duct Stones Specialist

Interventional Endoscopy Associates PLLC Our Services Bile Duct Stones

Interventional Endoscopy Associates PLLC

Gastroenterology and Endoscopy located in Peoria, AZ & Scottsdale, AZ

If you’re prone to gallstones, you may also experience complications from stones that move into your bile duct. At Interventional Endoscopy Associates PLLC, with offices in Peoria, Scottsdale, and Phoenix, Arizona, experienced physicians Teodor Pitea, MD, and Rawad Mounzer, MD, provide on-site diagnostic testing for bile duct stone symptoms like nausea and jaundice. The team tailors a treatment plan using minimally invasive procedures to remove blockages and prevent additional health complications. Learn more about available treatments for bile duct stones by booking an appointment online or calling the Interventional Endoscopy Associates PLLC office nearest you today.

Bile Duct Stones Q&A

What are bile duct stones?

Your gallbladder produces bile, a fluid that helps your liver break down fatty foods. Gallstones are hard, crystallized bile particles that form in your gallbladder due to liver disease, infections, or blood cell disorders.

When these gallstones move outside of your bladder, they can lodge in your bile duct, the tube that carries bile fluids from your liver to your small intestines. Bile stones can also form in the duct itself, causing a blockage of bile.

What are the symptoms of bile duct stones?

You can have bile duct stones without any symptoms. However, if the stone grows large and causes a blockage in your duct, you may experience severe abdominal pain that can come and go or last for several hours at a time.

Other common symptoms of bile duct stones include:

  • Fever
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Jaundice (yellowing of the skin)

The team at Interventional Endoscopy Associates PLLC offers on-site diagnostic testing to confirm bile duct stones or other conditions. They use ultrasound technology, or computed tomography (CT) scans to locate bile duct stones.

You may also need a special type of MRI known as a magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) to closely evaluate your bile duct structures.

How are bile duct stones treated?

The providers at Interventional Endoscopy Associates PLLC offer minimally invasive procedures to remove bile duct stones that cause obstructions and pain. They determine which treatment is right for you based on the size of your bile duct stones and the severity of your symptoms.

An endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a treatment that uses X-ray technology and an upper endoscopy procedure to remove stones with a flexible, lighted tube that goes in your mouth and down into your gastrointestinal tract.

The team also offers intraductal electrohydraulic lithotripsy, a procedure that uses a fine probe to deliver shockwaves into the bile duct to break up stones. Your provider then uses specialized tools to remove the remaining pieces of the stones.

If you have symptoms of bile duct stones and need a diagnostic evaluation, call the Interventional Endoscopy Associates PLLC office nearest you or schedule an appointment online today.

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