Medical Therapies to Conquer Surgical Diseases: Gallstone Disease May Be the Next Frontier

Abstract

Nadine Horneck,1,* Ifrah Ahmed,1,* Kayla Umemoto,1 Anvay Ullal,1 Dinesh Vyas1,2 1Department of Surgery, California Northstate University, College of Medicine, Elk Grove, CA, USA; 2Department of Surgery, Dameron Adventist Hospital, Stockton, CA, USA*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Dinesh Vyas, 525 Acacia Street, Stockton, CA, 95203, USA, Tel [phone], Email [email protected]: Over the past half century, diseases that were predominantly treated surgically have transitioned to less invasive medical therapies. Such diseases that are now effectively treated with medicine are (1) peptic ulcer disease (PUD), (2) coronary artery disease (CAD), and (3) gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs). Likewise, gallstone disease may soon follow this trend. Currently, the gold standard treatment of symptomatic gallstones is laparoscopic cholecystectomies. Though one of the most common surgeries in the United States, certain cases of acute and gangrenous cholecystitis can be some of the most difficult surgeries to perform. Advancements in neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) inhibitor medical therapies will alter gallstone disease management and the mainstream role of surgical interventions. This focus on less invasive therapies will greatly impact the quality of patient care, financial obligations, and even resident training opportunities.Keywords: gallstone disease, medical therapies, NET inhibitor, invasive surgical therapy, drug discovery

Keywords

• gallstone disease
• medical therapies
• net inhibitor
• invasive surgical therapy
• drug discovery