Condition

Gallbladder and biliary diseases

Clinical trials and treatment information for Gallbladder and biliary diseases

251.6M

People Affected

150

Active Trials

15.1M

New Cases/Year

131K

Deaths/Year

Treatment Rankings

Ranked by evidence volume first. Medicine has spent centuries ranking things by vibes. This is an improvement.

Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

95% Effectiveness• 95% Confidence• 65% Safety• 139 trials• 5M participants

HIGH EvidenceExcellent Value

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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

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Meth💀

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Morphine💊

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DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Immediate post-recovery

Duration

One-time procedure, 2-4 week recovery

Response Rate

95%

Remission Rate

90%

Common Side Effects:

Post-operative pain: 90%

Nausea and vomiting: 40%

Shoulder pain (referred): 50%

Bile duct injury: 0.5%

Infection (wound/abdominal): 3%

Bleeding: 0.2%

Post-cholecystectomy syndrome: 15%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$100

Monitoring

$300

Side Effects

$200

Total Annual

$15,000

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

Cost per Remission

$16,667

Cost per Responder

$15,789

Treatment Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Biliary Colic Episode FrequencyAverage 3-4 episodes per month

-95% (Reduction to <1 episode per 3 months)

Recurrence of Acute CholecystitisAnnual recurrence rate of 30-50% without surgery

-99% (Elimination of gallbladder-related acute cholecystitis (reduction to <1% annual risk))

Incidence of Gallstone-Related Pancreatitis or CholangitisAnnual incidence of 10-15% for high-risk patients

-95% (Reduction of annual incidence by 10-15 percentage points)

Abdominal Pain Severity (VAS scale)VAS score: 7/10 (average during symptomatic periods)

-85% (-6 points on VAS scale)

Secondary Benefits

Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI) ScoreGIQLI Score: 70/144 (lower scores mean worse QoL)

+25% (+17-20 points)

ER Visits/Hospitalizations for Biliary SymptomsAverage 1.5 visits/year

-98% (-1.5 visits/year (reduction to near zero))

Post-Meal Discomfort/Food Intolerance ScoreAverage 6/10 (0=none, 10=severe)

-80% (-4-5 points)

Common Side Effects

Post-operative pain

+90%

Nausea and vomiting

+40%

Shoulder pain (referred)

+50%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4

Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)

92% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 58% Safety• 33 trials• 300K participants

HIGH EvidenceExcellent Value

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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

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Meth💀

Cigarettes🚬

Chemo☢️

Alcohol🍺

Morphine💊

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Tylenol💊

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Water💧

DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Immediate

Duration

One-time procedure (may require repeat)

Response Rate

95%

Remission Rate

90%

Common Side Effects:

Post-ERCP pancreatitis: 7%

Bleeding: 1.5%

Perforation: 0.3%

Cholangitis: 0.5%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$50

Monitoring

$250

Side Effects

$500

Total Annual

$10,000

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.8

Cost per Remission

$11,111

Cost per Responder

$10,526

Treatment Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Total Bilirubin8.5 mg/dL

-80% (-6.8 mg/dL)

Alkaline Phosphatase650 U/L

-70% (-455 U/L)

Pain Severity (VAS Scale)VAS Score: 8/10

-75% (-6 points on VAS)

White Blood Cell Count16 x10^9/L

-50% (-8 x10^9/L)

Secondary Benefits

Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQOL)GIQOL Score: 70/144

+40% (+28 points on GIQOL)

Serum Amylase1200 U/L

-90% (-1080 U/L)

Pruritus Severity (NRS)NRS Score: 7/10

-85% (-6 points on NRS)

Common Side Effects

Post-ERCP pancreatitis

+7%

Bleeding

+1.5%

Perforation

+0.3%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4

Antibiotics (e.g., Piperacillin-tazobactam)

90% Effectiveness• 90% Confidence• 70% Safety• 1 trials• 100K participants

HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: Piperacillin-tazobactam 3.375g IV q6h

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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

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Morphine💊

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DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

1-3 days

Duration

7-14 days per episode

Response Rate

90%

Remission Rate

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

Common Side Effects:

Nausea and vomiting: 15%

Diarrhea: 20%

Allergic reaction (rash): 3%

Clostridioides difficile infection: 2%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$1,500

Monitoring

$100

Side Effects

$200

Total Annual

$5,000

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.6

Cost per Responder

$5,556

Treatment Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Abdominal Pain SeverityNRS 7/10

-71.43% (-5 points)

White Blood Cell Count15 x 10^9/L

-46.67% (-7 x 10^9/L)

C-reactive protein (CRP)50 mg/L

-80% (-40 mg/L)

Body Temperature39.0 °C

-5.13% (-2.0 °C)

Secondary Benefits

Nausea SeverityNRS 6/10

-83.33% (-5 points)

Total Bilirubin Level3.0 mg/dL

-73.33% (-2.2 mg/dL)

Length of Hospital Stay7 days

-57.14% (-4 days)

Common Side Effects

Nausea and vomiting

+15%

Diarrhea

+20%

Allergic reaction (rash)

+3%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4

Ursodeoxycholic Acid (UDCA)

60% Effectiveness• 85% Confidence• 88% Safety• 8 trials• 50K participants

HIGH EvidenceModerate ValueDose: 8-10 mg/kg/day, usually 300-600mg BID

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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

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Meth💀

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Chemo☢️

Alcohol🍺

Morphine💊

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Tylenol💊

Exercise🏃

Water💧

DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

6-12 months for dissolution

Duration

6 months - 2 years for dissolution, long-term for prevention

Response Rate

55%

Remission Rate

55%

Number Needed to Treat (NNT)

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

500

Common Side Effects:

Diarrhea: 8%

Abdominal pain: 3%

Nausea: 2%

Pruritus (itching): 1%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$780

Monitoring

$500

Side Effects

$50

Total Annual

$1,330

Cost-Effectiveness

MODERATE

QALYs Gained

0.2

Cost per Remission

$2,418

Cost per Responder

$2,418

Treatment Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Serum Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP)350 U/L

-43% (-150 U/L)

Total Bilirubin1.5 mg/dL

-20% (-0.3 mg/dL)

Pruritus SeverityPruritus severity (NRS 0-10): 7/10

-35% (-2.5 points on NRS)

Cholesterol Gallstone Size10 mm diameter

-40% (-4 mm diameter)

Secondary Benefits

Serum Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase (GGT)200 U/L

-35% (-70 U/L)

Fatigue SeverityFatigue severity (NRS 0-10): 6/10

-15% (-0.9 points on NRS)

Total Serum Bile Acids40 µmol/L

-50% (-20 µmol/L)

Common Side Effects

Diarrhea

+8%

Abdominal pain

+3%

Nausea

+2%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4