Where the stone sticks tells you the disease · Week 14
Gallstones form when bile sits still in the gallbladder. They are made mostly of cholesterol and bile acids, which harden into crystals. While they stay put, they are usually silent. The trouble starts when a stone moves and sticks in a duct. Which duct it picks decides the whole picture. Click each spot.
The biliary tree
Liver → ducts → gallbladder, all draining down into the duodenum. The pancreatic duct joins in right at the end.
Pick where the stone is.
Where is the stone?gallbladder · cystic · common bile · pancreatic
What happens
The classic risk profile, the 4 F’s:Female, Forty (age over 40), Fat (obesity, high cholesterol, a high-fat diet), Fertile (more than one pregnancy). Other risks: fast weight loss or dieting, long-term TPN, and hormone replacement.