This year more than one million Americans will discover that they have gallstones, joining about 25 million who already have the disorder. It communicates with the liver and intestine through small tubes called the bile ducts. Bile , a greenish-brown fluid, is produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder. Eating fatty foods causes the gallbladder to contract and empty its bile through the bile ducts into the intestine where it is needed for fatty food digestion.
Gallstones are lumps of rock-like material that form inside the gallbladder.
Scientists are just beginning to learn what causes gallstones to form. Gallstones may be as small as tiny specks or as large as the gallbladder itself. Gallstone type is important since cholesterol stones are more likely to respond to nonsurgical treatments. Studies have shown that these silent stones do not need to be treated. The initial symptoms are usually mild.