Developments in Brief : Ether Injection Found to Be Effective in Dissolving Cholesterol Gallstones
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., may have found a way to dissolve gallstones without surgery and at a quarter of the cost.
The treatment, still in the experimental stage, involves injecting ether into the gallbladder through a tiny catheter. As much as 80% of gallstones are composed of cholesterol, which is easily dissolved by ether.
Dr. Gerald May said the ether infusion was effective in early trials on all but one of 36 patients. In one patient, the gallstone contained calcium and would not dissolve. The experimental procedure takes from four to six hours and patients can usually leave the hospital the next day, he said.
Because of the shorter hospital stay and less complicated procedure, ether infusion costs less than 25% of the $5,000 to $10,000 price of surgery.
If further tests show that the procedure provides permanent relief, May said, “I think you can safely say that out of 200,000 (gallbladder removals) every year, 100,000 would be a candidate for this ether infusion.”
Gallstones afflict 20 million to 25 million Americans and can be extremely painful for some sufferers, particularly after eating certain foods.
Although ether is a toxic agent, May said, “it is well tolerated in the gallbladder as long as we keep it there.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of the ether solution on an experimental basis, but hundreds of procedures will need to be done before general approval is given. This could take two to four years, May said.
