Gallstones Summary Your gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ under your liver. It stores bile, a fluid made by your liver to digest fat. As your stomach and intestines digest food, your gallbladder releases bile through a tube called the common bile duct. The duct connects your gallbladder and liver to your small intestine. Your gallbladder is most likely to give you trouble if something blocks the flow of bile through the bile ducts. That is usually a gallstone. Gallstones form when substances in bile harden. Gallstone attacks usually happen after you eat. Signs of a gallstone attack may include nausea, vomiting, or pain in the abdomen, back, or just under the right arm. Gallstones are most common among older adults, women, overweight people, Native Americans and Mexican Americans. Gallstones are often found during imaging tests for other health conditions. If you do not have symptoms, you usually do not need treatment. The most common treatment is removal of the gallbladder. Fortunately, you can live without a gallbladder. Bile has other ways to reach your small intestine. NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Encyclopedia Abdominal exploration Abdominal MRI Abdominal ultrasound Fecal fat Gallbladder removal – open – discharge Gallbladder removal – slideshow Gallstones – discharge Array Abdominal exploration – slideshow Choledocholithiasis Endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography (ERCP) – slideshow ERCP Gallbladder removal – laparoscopic Gallbladder removal – laparoscopic – discharge Gallbladder removal – open Gallstones Diagnosis and Tests Abdominal Ultrasound Array ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases HIDA Scan (Cholescintigraphy) Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Understanding EUS (Endoscopic Ultrasonography) American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Related Issues Biliary Tract Disorders, Gallbladder Disorders, and Gallstone Pancreatitis American College of Gastroenterology Cholecystitis Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Dieting and Gallstones National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Treatments and Therapies Cholecystectomy: Surgical Removal of the Gallbladder American College of Surgeons Gallbladder Cleanse: A “Natural” Remedy for Gallstones? Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Understanding ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography) American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Clinical Trials ClinicalTrials.gov: Choledocholithiasis National Institutes of Health ClinicalTrials.gov: Cholelithiasis National Institutes of Health Videos and Tutorials Diagnosing & Treating Digestive Tract Disorders Endoscopically OR-Live Laparo-Endoscopic Single-Site (LESS) Procedure OR-Live Scarless Gallbladder Removal OR-Live Start Here Galled by the Gallbladder?: Your Tiny, Hard-Working Digestive Organ National Institutes of Health Gallstones Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research Gallstones American Academy of Family Physicians Gallstones National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Patient Handouts Gallstones National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Women Gallstones in American Indian/Alaska Native Women Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women’s Health Gallstones in Women American College of Gastroenterology Find an Expert National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases Journal Articles Gallstones
