Gallstones

📖What is Gallstones?

Gallstones are hardened deposits that form within the gallbladder, a small organ that stores bile used to help digest fats, when substances in bile such as cholesterol or bilirubin crystallise and clump together. They can range in size from tiny grains to stones as large as a golf ball, and a person may have just one or many at a time. Many people with gallstones experience no symptoms at all and the stones are discovered incidentally during imaging for other reasons, while others develop significant pain when a stone blocks the flow of bile out of the gallbladder. When gallstones cause blockage or inflammation, they can lead to complications including infection of the gallbladder, pancreatitis, or blockage of the bile ducts, all of which require prompt medical attention. Surgical removal of the gallbladder is the definitive treatment for symptomatic gallstones and is generally very well tolerated.

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