Gallstones: Meaning in a Radiology Report

Gallstones

Also written as: cholelithiasis, gallbladder calculi, gallbladder stones

Gallstones are hard, pebble-like pieces that form inside the gallbladder. They are very common and often cause no symptoms.

Seen on: Ultrasound, CT

How it reads in a report

Several mobile shadowing gallstones are present in the gallbladder, the largest measuring 14 mm, without wall thickening or pericholecystic fluid.

What it means

Bile is a digestive fluid made by the liver and stored in the gallbladder, a small pouch under the liver. Gallstones form when parts of bile, mostly cholesterol, harden into solid pieces. They range from grains of sand to a few centimeters. On ultrasound they look bright, cast a dark shadow and usually roll when you change position. Ultrasound finds them best, and CT can miss some.

When it matters

Most gallstones cause no symptoms, are found by chance and are usually left alone. They matter when they cause attacks of pain under the right ribs, often after meals. A stone can also inflame the gallbladder, block a bile duct or trigger inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). The radiologist checks for signs of this, such as a thickened gallbladder wall, fluid around it or widened ducts. If stones cause symptoms, your doctor may suggest removing the gallbladder.

Questions to ask your doctor

Could these stones explain the pain I have been having?
Are there any signs of inflammation or a stone in the bile ducts?
If I have no symptoms, does anything need to be done?

General information, not medical advice. What a finding means for you depends on your symptoms, your history and the images themselves, so talk your results through with a doctor.