The gallbladder is a small organ that sits underneath the liver, just under the ribcage on the right side of the abdomen. It stores bile (a yellow liquid produced by the liver) and controls the flow of bile into the bowel. Bile carries waste from the liver and also helps digest food. Gallstones are stones that form from the bile inside the gallbladder.

Gallstones are very common. Gallstones occur when substances that are normally dissolved in the bile, such as cholesterol and calcium, clump together to form stones. These stones may be very small (tiny specks) or up to several centimetres in size and there may be one or many stones.

Risk factors for gallstones include:

• Being female
• Obesity
• Losing weight quickly (such as after weight loss surgery)
• Family history of gallstones
• Older age
• Pregnancy

In some patients, gallstones do not cause any symptoms at all. However, gallstones can cause several problems including:

• irritation of the gallbladder wall (chronic cholecystitis)
• blockage of the gallbladder leading to inflammation (acute cholecystitis)
• blockage of the bile duct causing jaundice (a yellow discolouration of the skin and eyes) or infection of the bile (cholangitis)
• blockage of the pancreas causing inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis)

Symptoms of gallstones include:

• Pain in the right upper abdomen, across the upper abdomen or below the breast bone.
• Pain in the back or right shoulder
• Nausea
• Bloating
• Jaundice

Symptoms are often triggered by eating food, particularly fatty food. These symptoms may also be caused by problems other than gallstones and it is important to discuss your symptoms with your doctor.

Gallstones are usually diagnosed by ultrasound examination of the abdomen.

In many cases, if you are not having symptoms, and there are no other concerns on your scans or clinical history, no treatment is required.
Once symptoms develop or if there are other concerns, removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy) is usually recommended. These days cholecystectomy can usually be performed by keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery. You should always discuss with your doctor if treatment is required in your case.