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Gallstones Center - Meridian, ID

Meridian Gastroenterologist Doctors for Gallstones

Type of Physician: Gastroenterologist

What is a Gastroenterologist?

A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine; practitioners focus on the stomach, intestines, colon, liver, and gallbladder (digestive organs). The gastroenterologist treats conditions such as abdominal pain, ulcers, diarrhea, cancer, and jaundice and they consult with surgeons when abdominal operations are indicated.

Specialty: Gastroenterology

Common Name: GI Doctor

Gastroenterologist Doctors in Meridian *

St Luke's Gastroenterology
Mark Lloyd
2235 E Gala St
Meridian, ID 83642
(208) 887-3724

St Luke's Gastroenterology
John T Witte
2235 E Gala St
Meridian, ID 83642
(208) 887-3724

St Luke's Gastroenterology
Judith Woods
2235 E Gala St
Meridian, ID 83642
(208) 887-3724

Digestive Health Clinic
Nic R Cordum
6259 W Emerald St
Boise, ID 83704
(208) 489-1900

Digestive Health Clinic
Robb F Gibson
6259 W Emerald St
Boise, ID 83704
(208) 489-1900

Digestive Health Clinic
Samuel S Gibson
6259 W Emerald St
Boise, ID 83704
(208) 489-1900

Digestive Health Clinic
Christopher Goulet
6259 W Emerald St
Boise, ID 83704
(208) 489-1900

Digestive Health Clinic
Mark A Mallory
6259 W Emerald St
Boise, ID 83704
(208) 489-1900

Digestive Health Clinic
Stephen M Schutz
6259 W Emerald St
Boise, ID 83704
(208) 489-1900

Digestive Health Clinic
Ike D Tanabe
6259 W Emerald St
Boise, ID 83704
(208) 489-1900

Treasure Valley Gastroenterology Specialists
Raquel Croitoru
222 W Iowa Ave
STE STE A
Nampa, ID 83686
(208) 467-3432

Idaho Gastroenterology Associates
Ellen B Hunter
425 W Bannock St
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 343-6458

Idaho Gastroenterology Associates
Philip Jensen
425 W Bannock St
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 343-6458

Idaho Gastroenterology Associates
Richard Uhlmann
425 W Bannock St
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 343-6458

Idaho Gastroenterology Associates
Bonnie K Waite
425 W Bannock St
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 343-6458

Idaho Gastroenterology Associates
David Wood
425 W Bannock St
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 343-6458

Boise Veterans Affairs Medical Center
Paul H Baehr
500 W Fort St
Boise, ID 83702
(208) 422-1000

Meridian, Idaho

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Gallstones

What are gallstones?

Gallstones (often misspelled gall stones, or gall stone) are stones that form in the gall (bile). (The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ just below the liver and stores the bile secreted by the liver.)

  • Bile is a watery liquid made by the cells of the liver that is important for digesting food in the intestine, particularly fat.
  • Liver cells secrete the bile they make into small canals within the liver.
  • The bile flows through the canals and into larger collecting ducts within the liver (the intrahepatic bile ducts).
  • The bile then flows within the intrahepatic bile ducts out of the liver and into the extrahepatic bile ducts-first into the hepatic bile ducts, then into the common hepatic duct, and finally into the common bile duct.

From the common bile duct, there are two different directions that bile can flow.

  • The first direction is on down the common bile duct and into the intestine where the bile mixes with food and promotes digestion of food.
  • The second direction is into the cystic duct, and from there into the gallbladder (often misspelled as gall bladder).

Once in the gallbladder, bile is concentrated by the removal (absorption) of water. During a meal, the muscle that makes up the wall of the gallbladder contracts and squeezes the concentrated bile in the gallbladder back through the cystic duct into the common duct and then into the intestine. (Concentrated bile is much more effective for digestion than the un-concentrated bile that goes from the liver straight into the intestine.) The timing of gallbladder contraction-during a meal-allows the concentrated bile from the gallbladder to mix with food.

Gallstones usually form in the gallbladder; however, they also may form anywhere there is bile; in the intrahepatic, hepatic, common bile, and cystic ducts.

Gallst...

Recommended Reading Related to Gallstones

MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scan) »

What is an MRI scan?

An MRI (or magnetic resonance imaging) scan is a radiology technique that uses magnetism, radio waves, and a computer to produce images of body structures. The MRI scanner is a tube surrounded by a giant circular magnet. The patient is placed on a moveable bed that is inserted into the magnet. The magnet creates a strong magnetic field that aligns the protons of hydrogen atoms, which are then exposed to a beam of radio waves. This spins the various protons of the body, and they produce a faint signal that is detected by the receiver portion of the MRI scanner. The receiver information is processed by a computer, and an image is produced.

The image and resolution produced by MRI is quite detailed and can detect tiny changes of structures within the body. For some procedures, contrast agents, such as gadolinium, are used to increase the accuracy of the images.

When are MRI scans used?

An MRI scan can...

Emergency Contact for Meridian

  • In case of Emergency, call 911

Nearby Meridian Hospitals *

St Luke's Meridian Medical Center
520 S Eagle Rd
Meridian, ID 83642
(208)706-5000

Treasure Valley Hospital
8800 W Emerald St
Boise, ID 83704
(208)373-5000

Sunhealth Behavioral Health System for Boise
8050 Northview St
Boise, ID 83704
(208)327-0504

Intermountain Hospital
303 N Allumbaugh St
Boise, ID 83704
(208)377-8400

Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center
1055 N Curtis Rd
Boise, ID 83706
(208)367-2121

Mercy Medical Center
1512 12th Ave Rd
Nampa, ID 83686
(208)467-1171

Boise VA Medical Center
500 W Fort St
Boise, ID 83702
(208)422-1000

Idaho Elks Rehabilitation Hospital
600 N Robbins Rd
Boise, ID 83702
(208)489-4444

St Luke's Regional Medical Center
190 E Bannock St
Boise, ID 83712
(208)381-2222

West Valley Medical Center
1717 Arlington Ave
Caldwell, ID 83605
(208)459-4641

Walter Knox Memorial Hospital
1202 E Locust St
Emmett, ID 83617
(208)365-3561

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