Gallstones

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Digestive system

Cholecystolithiasis

Gallstones, cholangiogram

Kidney cyst with gallstones, CT scan

Cholelithiasis

Gallbladder

Gallbladder removal - series

Gallstones

Definition:

Gallstones are formed within the gallbladder, an organ that stores bile excreted from the liver. Bile is made up of water, salts, lecithin, cholesterol, and other substances. If the concentration of these components changes, gallstones may form.

Gallstones may be as small as a grain of sand, or they may become as large as an inch in diameter, depending on how long they have been forming.

Alternative Names:

Cholelithiasis

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Gallstones often have no symptoms and are usually discovered by a routine x-ray, surgery, or autopsy.

Gallstones are a common health problem worldwide. They are more common in women, Native Americans, and people over the age of 40.

Other risk factors include ethnic and hereditary factors, obesity, diabetes, liver cirrhosis, long-term intravenous nutrition, and some operations for peptic ulcers.

Review Date: 10/27/2005
Reviewed By: Courtney W. Houchen, M.D., Division of Gastroenterology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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