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Alternative names Return to top
Gallstone in the bile duct; Bile duct stone; Bile calculus; Biliary calculusDefinition Return to top
Choledocholithiasis is the presence of a gallstone in the common bile duct. The stone may consist of bile pigments and/or calcium and cholesterol salts that are formed in the biliary tract.Causes, incidence, and risk factors Return to top
About 15% of people with gallstones will develop stones in the common bile duct, the small tube that carries bile from the gallbladder to the intestine. Symptoms are usually not present unless obstruction of the common bile duct occurs. Even after the gallbladder is removed, a stone may remain in the common bile duct causing episodic pain or jaundice.
Complete, persistent obstruction of the common bile duct can cause cholangitis, a serious infection of the biliary tree, which is a medical emergency. An obstruction of the common bile duct can also lead to an obstruction of the pancreatic duct, which may cause pancreatitis.
Risk factors include a previous medical history of cholelithiasis (gallstones). The incidence is 6 out of 100,000 people.
Symptoms Return to top
Signs and tests Return to top
Tests that show the location of stones in the bile duct include the following:
Other blood tests that may be affected include the following:
Treatment Return to top
The objective of treatment is to remove the obstruction in the bile duct. Surgical removal of the gallbladder and the stones is one option. Another possibility is removal of the stones by ERCP and sphinterotomy (an incision into the sphinter muscle of the duct).
Expectations (prognosis) Return to top
Bile-duct blockage and infection caused by stones in the biliary tract can be a life-threatening illness. With prompt diagnosis and treatment, the outcome is usually very good.
Complications Return to top
Calling your health care provider Return to top
Call for an appointment with your health care provider if abdominal pain with or without fever develops that is not attributed to other causes, if jaundice develops, or if other symptoms suggestive of choledocholithiasis occur.
Update Date: 12/29/2002 Updated by: Hebe Molmenti, M.D., Ph.D., Private Practice specializing in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Baltimore, MD. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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Page last updated: 28 October 2004 |