What is choledocholithiasis?
Choledocholithiasis is the condition of having a gallstone (or stones) in your common bile duct. “Choledocho” is the Latin term for the common bile duct, and “lithiasis” means stones. Gallstones are pebble-like pieces of concentrated bile materials. They can develop in any place bile flows through.
What is choledocholithiasis vs. cholelithiasis?
You may have also heard the term “cholelithiasis,” which is similar. Cholelithiasis is the condition of having gallstones in your gallbladder. Gallstones may develop in your gallbladder or bile ducts, or both. A gallstone that develops in your gallbladder may also travel to your common bile duct.
What is choledocholithiasis vs. biliary colic?
If you have choledocholithiasis, you have at least one gallstone in your common bile duct. If it’s very small, it may not cause you any problems and may even pass into your intestines. But if it becomes large enough or blocks your common bile duct, it’ll cause symptoms of severe constant pain and jaundice.
Biliary colic is intermittent pain from gallstones that obstruct your biliary system intermittently (off and on). This is more common with gallbladder stones, but can happen with choledocholithiasis if a gallstone obstructs your common bile duct off and on — for example, if it moves in and out of your duct.
Is choledocholithiasis an emergency?
A gallstone, or several, in your common bile duct isn’t necessarily an emergency, but it’s a risk. Smaller gallstones may pass safely through your common bile duct to your intestines and out of your body. The risk is that they’ll become stuck there and grow large enough over time to cause a blockage.
Because of this risk, healthcare providers prefer to treat common bile duct stones immediately when they find them. They’ll recommend an endoscopic procedure to examine and, most likely, remove the stones. That means a gastroenterologist will access your bile ducts via a catheter passed down your throat.
What can choledocholithiasis lead to?
If a gallstone stays in your common bile duct and grows large enough to block the flow of bile through the duct, it endangers your entire biliary system. That’s the network of organs and vessels that bile travels through. A blockage can cause inflammation, infection and life-threatening complications.
How common is choledocholithiasis?
About 10% of people have gallstones, but most of them form in their gallbladder. About 15% of people with gallstones have them in their common bile duct. Gallstones will never bother most people. Only 20% of people with gallstones will have complications that require treatment.
