The bile duct joins with the liver duct to form the common bile duct which enters the bowel just beyond the stomach. Cholecyst is Greek for gallbladder, thus cholecystitis when it is inflamed. Almost 20 million Americans have gall stones. About 1 million new cases are diagnosed and half are operated on each year. Gallbladder problems are especially seen in women aged 20-60.
Gallstones are uncommon in slim, moderate drinkers and in vegetarians.
A tenth of those with gallbladder stones will also have them in the common bile duct which complicates gallbladder surgery. There are intriguing little water soluble envelopes in the bile called micelles which allow cholesterol to hide and dissolve to 2 million times its solubility in water. The bile acids which make this possible circulate from the gallbladder 5 to 10 times daily to the lower intestine where they are reabsorbed almost without any loss. The saturation of cholesterol in bile increases with age in both sexes and makes gall stone formation more common. Eighty-five percent of stones consist of cholesterol.