Gallstones

Gallstones form in the gallbladder, which is a small, hollow organ that is a little bit bigger than your thumb pad. The gallbladder is located just below the liver. It plays an important role in how our digestive system functions, by storing bile produced in the liver and releasing it when it’s needed for digestion. Bile then moves through bile ducts into the small intestines. It helps break down fat from food, and is reabsorbed at the very end of the small intestine.

Gallstones range in size from a grain of sand to a golf ball. They are hard, pebble-like deposits that form when substances in the bile become unbalanced.

Types of Gallstones

• Mixed stones –  the most common type of gallstones, made up of of cholesterol and salts
• Cholesterol stones – form primarily from hardened cholesterol 
• Pigment stones – these are very rare and are smaller stones that form when there is an excess of bilirubin, a substance produced when the liver breaks down red blood cells. Pima Indians are the most common group to have this type of stone.

While many people with gallstones have no symptoms, others require medical treatment or surgery to remove the gallbladder if the gallstones block the outlet of the gallbladder, pass into the bile ducts, or pass into the duodenum. This could lead to inflammation of the gallbladder, jaundice (choledocholithiasis – stones in the bile duct) or pancreatitis.

Gallstones Symptoms

• Pain – sudden, sharp pain in the upper right abdomen under the rib cage, which sometimes radiates to the back or shoulder
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fever or chills
• Bloating or indigestion
• Jaundice
• Clay-colored stools
• Diarrhea 
• Dark Urine

Dr. Anthony Vine has performed successful laparoscopic gallbladder surgery (cholecystectomy) on many patients suffering from gallstones. 

He is an Attending Surgeon and Associate Clinical Professor of Surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. His office is located at 1010 5th Avenue at the Laparoscopic Surgical Center of New York. You can schedule a consultation with Dr. Vine by filling out our Contact Us form.

Learn more about Laparoscopic Gallbladder Surgery and recovery time.