This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Gallstones

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

Gallstones are calculi formed in the gallbladder or bile duct (1).

  • there is usually a small core of organic material, often containing bacteria. The main part of the stone is made up of concentric layers, suggesting that it is formed by a series of discrete precipitation events
  • only 20% are radio-opaque (2).

Classically, gallstones are divided into 3 main types:

  • cholesterol stones
  • pigment stones (brown/black)
  • mixed stones

NB: cholesterol and mixed stones consist of 51–99% pure cholesterol plus an admixture of calcium salts, bile acids, bile pigments and phospholipids (3).

The typical patient is said to be the "fair, fat, fertile, female of forty", but many gallstone patients do not fit this description.

Factors which precipitate gallstone formation include:

  • excessive bile cholesterol
  • low bile salt levels
  • decreased gallbladder motility
  • decreased phosphatidylcholine molecule (which prevents the crystallisation of cholesterol) (1)

Aapproximately 15% of the adult population are thought to have gallstone disease, and most of these people experience no symptoms (4)

  • for a small proportion of people with gallstone disease, the stones irritate the gallbladder or block part of the biliary system, and this can cause symptoms such as pain, infection and inflammation
  • if these symptoms are left untreated, gallstones can cause more serious and in some cases life-threatening conditions such as cholecystitis, cholangitis, pancreatitis and jaundice

Reference:


Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.