Gallstones are hard pieces of material, most often formed from cholesterol, that develop in the gallbladder — a small pouch beneath the liver that stores bile to help digest fat. Gallstones are very common, and many people carry them for years without knowing it.
Stones become a problem when one blocks the flow of bile, causing pain or inflammation. They are more common with age, in women, during pregnancy, and in people with obesity or after rapid weight loss.
Common symptoms
The classic symptom is a steady pain in the upper right or upper middle abdomen, often after a heavy or fatty meal, sometimes spreading to the back or the right shoulder blade. Attacks may last from thirty minutes to several hours and can come with nausea or vomiting. Fever, chills, or yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice) suggest a blocked duct or an infection and need urgent attention.
How gallstones are diagnosed
An abdominal ultrasound is usually the first test; it is painless and shows most gallbladder stones clearly. Blood tests help look for inflammation, infection, or a blocked bile duct. When a stone is suspected in the bile duct itself, additional imaging — such as an MRI of the bile ducts or an endoscopic ultrasound — may be recommended.
Treatment approaches
Gallstones found by chance that cause no symptoms usually need no treatment. For stones that cause attacks, the standard treatment is surgical removal of the gallbladder, most often done through small incisions; the body digests food well without a gallbladder. A stone lodged in the bile duct can usually be removed without surgery, using an endoscopic procedure called ERCP.
When to contact a gastroenterologist
Make an appointment if you have repeated episodes of upper abdominal pain after meals, especially with nausea. Seek emergency care for pain that does not ease after several hours, or for pain with fever, chills, persistent vomiting, or jaundice — these can signal a blocked duct, an infected gallbladder, or pancreatitis.
Take-home information sheet
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Questions about your care?
This page is general education, not personal medical advice. Your care team is happy to talk through what it means for you.