Gallstones are hard pieces of material that can form in your gallbladder. Learn about causes and treatment for this sometimes painful digestive disorder.
Most often, gallstones that block the tube leading out of the gallbladder cause cholecystitis. This results in a bile buildup that can cause inflammation. Other causes of cholecystitis include bile duct changes, tumors, serious illness and certain infections. If not treated, cholecystitis can lead to serious complications, such as gallbladder rupture. These can be life-threatening. Treatment ...
A cholecystectomy is most often used to treat gallstones and the complications they cause. Your health care team may recommend a cholecystectomy if you have: Gallstones in the gallbladder that are causing symptoms, called cholelithiasis. Gallstones in the bile duct, called choledocholithiasis. Gallbladder inflammation, called cholecystitis. Large gallbladder polyps, which can turn cancerous ...
A gallbladder cleanse — also called a gallbladder flush or a liver flush — is an alternative remedy for ridding the body of gallstones. However, there's no reliable evidence that a gallbladder cleanse is useful in preventing or treating gallstones or any other disease. In most cases, a ...
Gallstones are hardened deposits of digestive fluid, called bile, in your gallbladder. Learn more from Mayo Clinic.
Gallstones usually settle at the bottom of your gallbladder, where they're unlikely to cause problems. Symptoms may arise if a stone migrates up the neck of the gallbladder and blocks the flow of bile out of the gallbladder or through the bile duct.