Choledocholithiasis

Alternative names:

bile calculus; bile duct stone; biliary calculus; gallstone in the bile duct

Definition:

A stone consisting of bile pigments and calcium salts that is formed in the biliary tract (the ducts that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and from the gallbladder to the small intestine).

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

About 15% of people with gallstones will develop the stones in the common bile duct, a small tube that carries bile from the gallbladder to the intestine. No symptoms will be present unless obstruction occurs. Even after the gallbladder is removed, a stone may remain in the common bile duct causing episodic pain. An obstruction in the common bile duct can also lead to an obstruction in the pancreatic duct because these ducts are connected in most people.

Risk factors include a previous medical history of cholelithiasis (gallstones). The incidence is 6 out of 100,000 people.