Gallstones are solid particles formed from bile. They can be as small as a grain of salt or as large as a golf ball.


Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment


Bile is made by the liver to help digest fats, and it is stored in the gallbladder. If there is too much cholesterol or other substance in the bile, it can turn into a solid form, called a gallstone. Gallstones can stay in the gallbladder or they may be pushed out into the bile ducts.

Symptoms
Symptoms of gallstones include:

• Mild or severe pain in your upper abdomen or back, or in the center of your chest after meals, especially after eating heavy or high-fat meals

• Nausea and vomiting

• Jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and eyes

The pain is caused when the gallbladder tries to empty and a stone is in the way. It is possible for stones to move into the main bile duct and clog it, causing you to turn yellow (jaundice). The stones can also cause pancreatitis, a reaction in the pancreas that can be life-threatening.

Diagnosing gallstones
We will review your symptoms, ask about your medical history and conduct a physical exam. We may use one or more of the following tests:

• X-rays
• Ultrasound scan
• CT scan
• A scan using an injection of radioactive dye (HIDA scan) to show whether the gallbladder is blocked or inflamed
• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, or ERCP
  This is done using both x-rays and a flexible, lighted tube called an endoscope to see inside the pancreas, liver, gallbladder and bile ducts. A sample of tissue may be removed for tests.  You will receive light sedation for this test.

Treating gallstones
If your gallstones are causing mild pain, we may prescribe a low-fat diet and/or pain relievers. Other treatment includes:

• Surgery to remove the gallbladder. Removal of the gallbladder should cause few, if any, long-term problems because the digestive system can function normally without it.
• Medication to dissolve the gallstones if they are small.
• Lithotripsy, a non-surgical procedure that uses shock waves to break up the stones. The stones are then flushed out in the urine. The full name for this procedure is extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy, or ESWL.