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Topic Overview
Gallstones are hard stones made of cholesterol and other substances that form in the gallbladder. They also can develop in the common bile duct, the tube that carries bile from the gallbladder and the liver to the small intestine.
Gallstones may be as small as a grain of sand or as large as 2.5 in.(6.35 cm) in diameter. Sometimes, stones are found during tests to look for another condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), peptic ulcer disease, kidney stones, ovarian cysts, inflammation of the liver (hepatitis), and pregnancy.
Most people who have gallstones do not have any symptoms. If gallstones do not cause symptoms, treatment is not needed. If symptoms do develop, they usually will be mild; they are rarely life-threatening. The main symptom is pain in the upper right area or upper midsection (epigastric area) of the abdomen.
See an illustration of areas of the abdomen.
Pain from gallstones may vary in intensity. Gallstones may cause vomiting. Nausea with vomiting and a fever may signal inflammation or infection of the gallbladder (acute cholecystitis). Gallstones that block the common bile duct also can cause yellowing of the skin and the white part of the eyes (jaundice), dark urine, and light-colored stools. Gallstones that block the flow of digestive enzymes can cause inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis).
Several types of gallbladder disease may develop. They include gallstones that cause pain by blocking the cystic duct, which drains the gallbladder; acute cholecystitis; and gallstones that block the common bile duct (choledocholithiasis).
Gallstones that cause symptoms are usually treated with surgery to remove the gallbladder. Experts debate whether surgery is needed after one attack of gallbladder pain; some people may have only one bout of pain. However, surgery usually is done if pain recurs.
