Gallstone Disease

Gallstone Disease is a topic covered in the Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics.

To view the entire topic, please or .

The Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics helps you diagnose and treat hundreds of medical conditions. Consult clinical recommendations from a resource that has been trusted on the wards for 50+ years. Explore these free sample topics:

-- The first section of this topic is shown below --

General Principles

  • Asymptomatic gallstones (cholelithiasis) are a common incidental finding for which no specific therapy is generally necessary.1 Cholesterol stones are the most common type, but pigmented stones can be seen with hemolysis or infection. Risk factors include obesity, female gender, parity, rapid weight loss, ileal disease, and maternal family history.
  • Symptomatic cholelithiasis, when upper abdominal symptoms are linked to gallstones, is typically treated surgically with cholecystectomy.
  • Acute cholecystitis is caused most often by obstruction of the cystic duct by gallstones, but acalculous cholecystitis can occur in severely ill or hospitalized patients.

-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please or --

General Principles

  • Asymptomatic gallstones (cholelithiasis) are a common incidental finding for which no specific therapy is generally necessary.1 Cholesterol stones are the most common type, but pigmented stones can be seen with hemolysis or infection. Risk factors include obesity, female gender, parity, rapid weight loss, ileal disease, and maternal family history.
  • Symptomatic cholelithiasis, when upper abdominal symptoms are linked to gallstones, is typically treated surgically with cholecystectomy.
  • Acute cholecystitis is caused most often by obstruction of the cystic duct by gallstones, but acalculous cholecystitis can occur in severely ill or hospitalized patients.

There's more to see -- the rest of this entry is available only to subscribers.