Bezoar (stone) in the stomach

Causes

The main factor is a violation of motor functions, which are responsible for the evacuation of food lumps from the stomach into the intestinal tract. A typical provoking disease is complicated diabetes mellitus (diabetic gastroparesis, partial gastric paralysis). There are other, no less important, causes of stones in the stomach:

• Weakened secretion of the gastric glands, low acidity.
• Colonization of the intestinal tract and stomach by microorganisms that disrupt the microflora (yeast-like fungi).
• Increased viscosity of mucus.

All those who chew food poorly, abuse coarse and fatty foods, those who have undergone surgery on the stomach (partial resection, vagotomy) and those who do not undergo a follow-up examination can get this disease.

The stone can remain in the body for a long time without causing any unpleasant symptoms. As a result, a person does not even know about his illness for many years. When a stone reaches a certain size, it can trigger an attack or cause discomfort. As a rule, unpleasant sensations are observed from a stone in the stomach after eating. Patients with this disease are prescribed a special diet.

Drug treatment

Sometimes treatment can be done by taking medications.

Some drugs can dissolve stones, restore impaired metabolic processes in the body and help the digestive organs function.

Feel

With stones, the patient constantly feels discomfort in the stomach area, it manifests itself as follows:

• Constant feeling of a full stomach and vomiting after eating.
• Feelings of heaviness in the stomach that persist for more than two hours after eating.
• Temporary relief may come after vomiting or diarrhea, but then everything repeats with renewed vigor.
• The patient begins to feel weakness, fatigue, indifference, and loss of appetite.
• More and more often there is a feeling as if I had swallowed something big.
• When the stone begins to pass through the gastrointestinal tract, vomiting is accompanied by severe pain in the abdominal area.

Symptoms

Symptoms of stomach stones do not appear immediately. But as the formation increases, they begin to damage the lining of the stomach with their sharp edges. The first signs of the disease include:

• involuntary release of gases from the esophagus through the mouth as a result of contraction of the diaphragm - belching;
• gag reflex during and after eating;
• heaviness in the stomach, which manifests itself during meals and persists for more than two hours.

Small stones can be passed through vomiting and diarrhea. This brings temporary relief. But if the patient continues to lead the same lifestyle, eat the same foods, and does not protect himself from harmful factors at work, then new symptoms of the disease appear. The size of the stomach decreases, food is more difficult to digest. New signs of the disease appear, which include weight loss, indifference and fatigue, decreased hemoglobin in the blood, and loss of performance. When a stone seeks its way out of the stomach, it can block the passage to the intestines. This causes pain in the abdominal area and vomiting.

The behavior of a stone depends on its size and structure. A small, smooth stone may leave the gastrointestinal tract on its own. Large and rough, it can completely block the small intestine, which in most cases requires surgical intervention.

Surgery

Indications for stone removal may include:

• frequent attacks over a long period of time;
• severe exhaustion of the patient;
• a sudden attack of acute pain that cannot be removed with improvised means.

The operation is the removal of the covering of the gland or cutting off part of it and redirecting the course of the blocked bile duct.

Endoscopy

This method does not involve surgery. The patient removes the stones using a special device - an endoscope. It all depends on the size of the stones in the iron. Small stones are removed immediately.

If there is a larger size, exceeding a centimeter, then a small incision is made in the duct so that the stone can be pushed through the intestines.

Crushing stones

This method is the most gentle. The patient is expected to be treated on an outpatient basis. And during the procedure, stones are removed by grinding them to a powder state and removing them using the same device - an endoscope.

All operations take place under general anesthesia and take approximately a couple of hours of waiting. The patient feels absolutely nothing, only then may minor abdominal pain and bruising appear.

Types of stones

There are several types of stones in the human body:

• Phytobezoar is the main type of stone. The main reason for their appearance is the accumulation of plant fiber as a result of eating foods rich in it (figs, persimmons, grapes, etc.). Develops as a consequence of poor digestion of food (gastritis, disruption of the digestive tract).
• Trichobezoar is formed due to the accumulation of hair, usually in people who have a habit of sucking their hair and those whose work is directly related to hairstyles.
• Lactobesoar is a disease common to premature infants fed an artificial, high-calorie diet high in lactose and casein.
• Sebobezoar - appears due to the formation of lumps of fat glued together with mucus.
• Hemobezoar – occurs in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus or portal hypertension when blood ingestion occurs.
• Pixobesoar - formed due to the use of resin.
• Schellacobezoar - occurs due to the ingestion of nitro varnish, polishes, alcohol varnishes and other harmful agents.

Patients after gastric surgery are most often prone to the appearance of stones. People with diabetes are also at risk because they already have serious health problems.

Stones in the kidneys

Most often, stones form in the kidneys. Their sizes can vary from 1 millimeter to 15 centimeters. They can consist of various types of salts and even cholesterol, although this option is much less common. The appearance and characteristics of formations directly depend on their composition.

• Uric acid salts (urate) produce brown stones with a smooth surface and dense.
• From salts of oxalic acid (oxalate) dark crystals are formed, having a lumpy shape with an abundance of spines and processes, very hard. They occur more often in men than in women.
• Salts of amino acid (cystine) form white flat stones, layered and quite soft in consistency.
• Formations from magnesium salts and calcium phosphate (phosphate) are gray in color, their surface can be either smooth or rough. The stones are soft and grow quickly, appearing more often in women than in men.
• Cholesterol stones are black and crumbly.

Stones can settle in any corner of our body. Do you want to know where malicious “guests” can be found and how to deal with them?

Stones in the kidneys

This is a ticking time bomb. You can live for years with kidney stones and not suspect their existence, until one far from wonderful moment they manifest themselves with an attack of renal colic.

Kidney stones can range in size from 0.1 to 15 cm. In world medicine, there are cases when kidney stones reached 2.5 kg!

The composition of kidney stones is:

• urates are smooth, dense brown stones consisting of uric acid salts,
• oxalate - dark and very hard, with many spines and processes, lumpy, formed from oxalic acid salts, more common in men,
• phosphate - gray, smooth or rough, very soft and rapidly expanding. They consist of salts of phosphoric acid calcium or magnesium. Found more often in women.
• cystine - rather soft formations of white color, layered and flattened, consisting of amino acid salts.
• cholesterol stones are black, coal-like, easily crumbling stones. Very rarely found.

Causes of kidney stones

There are many versions on this score: a violation of the acid-base balance of the body, increased urine concentration, hereditary predisposition, unhealthy diet, inflammatory processes in the kidneys.

Treatment of kidney stones

Small pebbles come out on their own, large ones require crushing or surgery. If urates have settled in the body, they can be dissolved with special medications.

Gallstones

The second organ after the kidneys in which stones most often form is the gallbladder. 20% of women and 8% of men over the age of 40 suffer from gallstone disease. These pebbles are also treacherous. They may not bother you for many years and manifest themselves in the form of sudden biliary colic, which can put a person on the operating table. In this case, the stones are removed along with the gallbladder. Their size reaches from 0.1 to 2-3 cm, since the size of the gallbladder is small and enlarging stones immediately manifest themselves.

Gallstones are:

• cholesterol stones are easily crumbled, smooth, often oblong-shaped, black stones.
• pigmented - very soft, without outgrowths and thorns, greenish in color.

The causes of gallstones formation are:

• biliary tract infection,
• hereditary predisposition,
• high-calorie foods with high cholesterol content,
• the presence of female hormones in the body (including hormones contained in hormonal contraceptives). This is why women are more likely to suffer from gallstones.

Treatment of cholelithiasis

Most often, surgical intervention is suggested. It is advisable to perform the operation during a “quiet” period, when the gallbladder is not inflamed. There are also methods for dissolving stones, but, unfortunately, they are not always effective.

Stones in the eyes

They vary in size from hundredths of a millimeter to 0.2-0.3 cm. They are formed as a result of an inflammatory process in the iris and ciliary body (iridocyclitis). Cellular enzymes, dead tissue and pus settle on the back surface of the cornea. Precipitates are formed from them - grayish-white eye stones. Usually there are several such stones, they are arranged in a triangle, the apex of this triangle is directed towards the pupil.

Treatment of eye stones

Eye stones usually resolve over time, so no treatment is prescribed. But sometimes they can persist for years.

Stones in the intestines

These are treacherous stones. Their effect on the body is very similar to ordinary constipation. A person takes laxatives, but does not get the desired effect. Pain appears, the stomach is bursting, uncontrollable vomiting occurs, and in the end, this can lead to surgery. The size of stones in the intestines is from 1 to 6 cm. The causes of their occurrence are dry food, a lack of raw vegetables rich in fiber in the menu, and long-term chronic constipation.

You can remove or dissolve existing stones and prevent new ones from appearing with the help of regular enemas. Avoid constipation to avoid intestinal stones.

Stones in the arteries

Stones can also form in blood vessels, the density of which is not inferior to gravel. Flat stones of yellowish-white color, ranging in size from 0.1 to 5 cm, consisting of salts of fatty acids, line the walls of blood vessels. Fatty foods, a sedentary lifestyle, and smoking contribute to the appearance of cholesterol plaques, which attach to the walls of blood vessels from the inside and damage them. An ulcer appears at this place and calcium begins to be deposited on it, forming stones.

There is no cure for calcium plaques. You can only prevent their occurrence by leading a healthy lifestyle: go on an anti-cholesterol diet, play sports, quit smoking.

Stones in the prostate

The prostate is a place quite vulnerable to the formation of stones. They are formed from protein, amino acids, calcium and dead tissue. Gray-white stones reach sizes from 0.1 to 1 cm. The reason for their appearance is frequent prostatitis and irregular sex life. Stagnant prostate secretions clog areas of the gland, and a stone appears in these places after a few years.

Stones can be dissolved with the help of physiotherapy and enzyme preparations. For treatment to be effective, it is necessary to simultaneously treat the inflammatory process - prostatitis, which usually accompanies the formation of stones.

Stones in the salivary glands

Miniature whitish pebbles, ranging in size from 0.1 to 0.5 cm, resemble a spindle. They are formed from epithelial cells, protein elements, and amino acid salts. The reason for the formation of stones in the salivary glands is disturbances in the outflow and stagnation of secretions in the parotid salivary gland. Inflammation or injury can also lead to stone formation. Stones are removed surgically.

Stones in the ureter

Stones leaving the kidneys travel through the ureter into the bladder. Some may linger and remain in the ureter, growing over time. Moreover, they can grow significantly: doctors have found stones up to 19 cm long! Treatment is the same as for kidney stones: surgery or crushing.

Bladder stones

Stones can enter the bladder from the kidneys, or they can originate locally. More often, stones occur in men as a result of inflammation of the bladder or disturbances in the outflow of urine. In women, stones in the bladder are very rare, since when they appear, they come out with urine. In men, the “path out” for stones is long and tortuous, so medical intervention is necessary.

Share on social media networks

RќСЂР°РІРёС‚СЃСЏ

Treatment

Only after listening to the patient’s complaints, carefully studying the symptoms and research results, can the doctor develop an individual treatment regimen. After the diagnosis has been clarified, most patients have a number of questions. How to remove a stone from the stomach? Do I need to remove it with surgery, or just carry out conservative therapy?

Treatment is prescribed purely individually. It can be complex and include both surgical intervention and drug therapy. The operation can be performed by laparotomy or pancreatectomy. The methods are relevant when attacks occur, accompanied by exhaustion of the body; inflammation develops; the body is exhausted; clear symptoms are observed.

Stomach bezoar - types, treatment, diagnosis, danger

If you ask an ordinary person how a foreign object can end up in the stomach, he will answer that only by swallowing. And he will be wrong. Foreign bodies in the stomach can be a consequence of a disease that doctors call a bezoar.

Gastric bezoar is a very rare disease that is associated with the formation of foreign bodies in this organ. Bezoars are also called stomach stones.

If you type the word “bezoar” into your browser’s search bar, you will see that most of the results are related to diseases of animals, not humans. They are typical of ruminants.

But stomach bezoar also occurs in humans; this disease is considered quite severe and has very unpleasant symptoms and consequences.

Types of bezoars

If you have a cat, then you must have seen the animal regurgitate a ball of hair - it is called a trichobezoar. The same stomach bezoars can form in humans, for example, in mentally ill people who have the habit of eating their own hair.

There are quite a few types of this disease, here are the most common ones:

• phytobezoars;
• trichobezoars;
• pharmacobezoars.

Phytobezoars are a type of disease in which a foreign body in the stomach consists of various plant fibers. Typically, a foreign body of plant origin that enters the stomach (seeds, seeds of various fruits or berries) is the basis for the formation of stones. It becomes overgrown with layers of mucus, fat, hair and gradually mineralizes.

Very often, the formation of phytobezoars is associated with high consumption of persimmons. This fruit contains a large amount of astringent and resinous substances, which are an ideal basis for the formation of stomach stones. There are especially many of them in unripe fruits.

Trichobezoars are agglomerations consisting of hair. In medicine, many cases have been described in which mentally ill people ate their own hair.

Pharmacobezoars are a type of gastric stones, the basis of which are various types of insoluble drugs.

The most common of the above-described types of disease are phytobezoars and pharmacobezoars. Phytobezoars account for 70-75% of the total number of cases of this disease.

Although, it should be noted that other materials can serve as the basis for the formation of gastric stones: chewing gum, blood (hematobezoar), casein and much more. Usually they are quickly eliminated from the body, but under the influence of certain factors they can become the basis of a bezoar of the stomach.

There are other, more exotic types of this disease, they are even rarer. The medical literature describes pixobesoars - this is a pathology that occurs due to the habit of chewing resin or var.

Eating large amounts of animal fat can lead to sebobezoars, and consuming polishes and nitro-varnishes can lead to shellac-bezoars.

Children who are bottle-fed may develop lactobezoars, which are based on lactose and casein.

If we talk about the size of these formations, they can be quite impressive. Sometimes stomach bezoars reach a weight of one kilogram or even more. Cases have been described in which a bezoar filled the entire volume of the stomach, representing a cast of this organ.

The rate of formation of a gastric stone depends on its type and physiological characteristics of a person; it can vary from several days to tens of years.

Depending on the type of bezoar and the timing of its formation, the stone may have a different consistency. From soft and loose to extremely hard, which can be compared to the density of natural stone.

Bezoars can be single or multiple, they are usually brown or green in color, and have an unpleasant odor.

Causes

Few of us eat our own hair, but many people love fruits containing seeds. Why is stomach bezoar a very rare disease and the vast majority of people have never even heard of it?

For the development of this pathology, one (or several) accidentally swallowed bones is not enough. There are several factors that contribute to the formation of stomach stones.

The main reason why a gastric bezoar develops is a violation of the motor (evacuation) function of this organ.

A typical example is diabetic gastroparesis, a partial paralysis of the stomach that results from diabetes mellitus.

The following factors can also lead to the formation of stomach stones:

• deterioration of the secretory function of the stomach;

• presence of pathogenic microflora;

• increased viscosity of mucus.

However, most often stones form in people who have undergone gastric surgery: resection or vagotomy. There is no exact data on the formation of bezoars in this category of patients, since not all of them undergo X-ray and endoscopic examinations after surgery.

Another reason that causes the formation of bezoars is poor chewing of food. Insufficient levels of hydrochloric acid in gastric juice contribute to the formation of stones.

Some researchers believe that yeast-like fungi that live in the gastrointestinal tract play an important role in the formation of bezoars. But there is another opinion that mushrooms only use stones as a substrate.

Diagnosis of the disease

Diagnosing the disease is a very difficult matter. Most of its symptoms resemble those of other gastric pathologies. They are often mistaken for the result of food poisoning.

In some cases, if the stone is of significant size and dense consistency, you can independently palpate it in the epigastric area, but this is the exception rather than the rule. In this case, a bezoar is usually mistaken for a neoplasm.

When diagnosing a disease, it is important to pay attention to anamnestic data on previous stomach surgeries, diseases of this organ, and a person’s eating habits. It is necessary to examine the condition of the patient’s teeth, the nature of chewing food and swallowing it.

Bezoars are characterized by a paroxysmal course of the disease. As stones accumulate in the patient's stomach, the disease worsens and the symptoms become more pronounced. As the stones are removed (through vomiting or through the intestines), the symptoms subside and remission is observed.

If an exacerbation of this disease is mistaken for ordinary food poisoning, then the patient is prescribed plenty of fluids, which leads to the evacuation of bezoars from the stomach and relief of the condition. However, the movement of stomach stones into the intestines is dangerous, as they can block the small intestine and cause complete or partial obstruction.

Another sign of stomach stones is anemia, which can be determined by a blood test.

However, the main methods for determining bezoars are gastric radiography, gastroscopy, ultrasound and computed tomography.

The differential diagnosis between bezoars and gastric cancer, as well as other types of tumors, is quite difficult. Endoscopic examination methods help to distinguish gastric stones from neoplasms; they can be easily distinguished by their uneven characteristic surface. An endoscopic biopsy is also performed, which allows us to determine the composition of the gastric stone.

Treatment of the disease

Several methods are used to eliminate stomach stones: they are dissolved, broken down, or surgically removed. The latter method is used only as a last resort if other options are ineffective.

In each case, the treatment of this disease is different, it depends on the type of bezoar, its consistency and the individual characteristics of the patient.

For example, for phytobezoars that have a soft consistency, the patient is prescribed warm mineral water with an alkaline reaction.

A 10% solution of sodium bicarbonate is also used, patients are prescribed milk on an empty stomach, laxatives are sometimes used, and a special diet is prescribed. Massage of the upper abdomen is useful.

Typically this treatment continues for several weeks. If it does not bring results, then they move on to more radical methods.

You can try to crush the stomach stones and then remove them. You can try to crush the stone using an endoscope or expose it to a stream of special solutions that crush it into small components. Sometimes special forceps, loops or laser treatment are used to crush bezoars.

Such methods of removing stomach stones are quite effective only if the bezoar is soft. If it has the density of a stone, then most often it is necessary to resort to surgical intervention.

Surgery is usually necessary for trichobezoars, shellacobesoars and pixobesoars. Most often, gastrotomy is used; if the disease is accompanied by a duodenal or gastric ulcer, then vagotomy or gastrectomy is used.

Another case in which surgery is necessary is intestinal obstruction as a result of blockage by a gastric stone.

Operation

Surgical intervention is relevant in cases where there are complications or the resulting stones are large in size. The operation is performed under general anesthesia, then the formation is removed through small incisions in the abdominal cavity.

Small stones are also removed laparoscopically. A bezoar is removed by introducing a special device into the abdominal cavity through small incisions. The intervention is performed under general anesthesia. The advantages of laparoscopic surgery for gastric stones are as follows:

• Fast recovery period.
• Total removal of bezoars.
• Prevention of the development of dangerous complications.
• There are no scars left after the surgery.
• Internal organs are not damaged during the procedure.

It is also worth noting that thanks to the modern development of medicine, the operation is performed with the latest lasers, as a result of which no scars remain on the patient’s skin after the manipulation. Contraindications to the use of this method of removing bezoars in the stomach:

• Inflammatory diseases of the gallbladder.
• Haemophilus influenzae infection.
• Atrophy.
• Presence of cancer.
• Tuberculosis in its active phase.
• Cirrhosis of the liver.

Quite often, with stones in the stomach, patients resort to alternative medicine. No one disputes traditional methods, but you need to approach such treatment wisely and be sure to first consult with a specialist, take tests and undergo an examination.

Stones in the intestines

Stones in the intestines are called coprolites and appear quite often. Their size can reach 1-6 centimeters. They are formed from undigested food debris that accumulate in the folds of the intestines and begin to rot, becoming compacted under the influence of bacteria.

The reasons for the deposition of stones in the intestines can be: chronic constipation, regular dry food, low consumption of raw vegetables.

If there are stones in the intestines, the patient experiences pain and bloating in the abdomen, bad breath, and skin rashes. Possible obesity, allergies, and in women, disruptions in the menstrual cycle.

Timely treatment of constipation under the supervision of a specialist is necessary. Advanced disease can lead to surgical treatment.

Diet

If you feel heaviness in your stomach, as if you had swallowed a stone, you must strictly follow the following recommendations:

• Count calories, pay attention to the energy value of the foods you eat. Calorie intake is calculated purely individually, but on average this figure is about 2000-2500. It is also important to maintain a balance of proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
• Keep in mind that if you have a stomach or gallstone, fatty or fried foods may have the most detrimental effect.
• No need to overeat.
• Products should not be hot or cold; consume everything warm.
• You need to eat small meals six times during the day.
• It is necessary to remove fats from the diet, as well as various stimulants. These include: spices, additives, foods high in cholesterol and essential oils.
• The main thing in the diet is fruits and vegetables.
• You can't eat fried food.
• Food should be steamed, boiled and very rarely baked.

You need to eat the following foods:

• Fermented milk products (yogurt, kefir, fermented baked milk, cottage cheese, etc.), which contain calcium and protein, improve intestinal microflora.
• It is also necessary to introduce fish and lean meat, eggs (white), and vegetable oils, such as olive, into the diet.
• Vitamins A, B and C are required.

Prevention

Proper nutrition is the main preventive measure to prevent the formation of stones in the stomach. In addition, doctors recommend the following:

• an active lifestyle with a sufficient level of physical activity;
• chewing food thoroughly and slowly;
• getting rid of the bad habit of biting nails and sucking hair;
• reviewing the diet, limiting fruits and vegetables with hard peels, berries, roughage, as well as baked goods, white bread, which is best replaced with bran;
• periodic examination by a gastroenterologist.

You don’t need to completely exclude meat products from your diet, but you don’t need to get carried away with them either. You need to drink at least two liters of liquid every day (pure water, tea, rosehip infusion, etc.), this will prevent dehydration.

It is important to empty your bowels on time to prevent stool from accumulating. It is useful to massage your tummy in the morning and drink warm boiled water. You can also sit down a couple of times. They do all this in order to form the habit of going to the toilet at the same time every time.

Stones in the arteries

Stones in the arteries are located where they formed, tightly attached to the vascular wall. They are very hard in consistency, flat in shape, yellowish-white in color and 0.1-5 centimeters in size. They contain calcium salts of fatty acids.

The causes of formation are considered to be: poor diet high in fatty foods, sedentary lifestyle, smoking. This disease cannot be cured, it can only be prevented by eliminating risk factors.