Gallstones are formed from bile, a liquid that consists mostly of water, bile salts, lecithin and cholesterol and is produced in the liver. They are present in 20-30% of the population. They often occur in women, for women to prove as much as 4 times more often. Gallstones are solid accumulations of stones that may occur in the gallbladder or bile ducts. Gall bladder is located beneath the liver and is located in the upper right corner of the abdominal cavity below the right costal margin. Stones are formed when some of the ingredients of the bile juice remain as sediment as a hardened mass in the gallbladder.
With respect to chemical composition are known three types of gallstones: kolesterolski, pigmentary and mixed. Most gallstones, about 80% belongs to a group of cholesterol gallstones, and they are again subdivided into pure kolesterolske stones, which are usually larger and solitary, and mixed stones that are usually fragmented.
Pigment stones in patients are usually small, black looks like coal, composed of bilirubin, which is an integral part of the bile juice and resulting degradation of erythrocytes (red blood cells). This form of stones present with chronic hemolysis, alcoholic cirrhosis, chronic infection of the biliary tract and aging.
