Bile Duct Stones

Gallstones are hard lumps of various sizes that sometimes become trapped in your gallbladder’s bile ducts. If you experience bile duct stone pain, visit Wake Endoscopy’s office in Raleigh, Wake Forest, Cary, Clayton, or Wilson, North Carolina. The practice’s highly skilled gastroenterology experts use state-of-the-art diagnostic technologies to determine if you have bile duct stones and how best to treat them. Call the nearest Wake Endoscopy office to request an appointment, or book online today for prompt bile duct stone treatment.

What are bile duct stones?

Bile duct stones (choledocholithiasis) are gallstones trapped in your bile duct. They’re often extremely painful and may cause gallbladder inflammation or infection. Bile duct stones can also damage your pancreas, liver, and other parts of your digestive system.

Gallstones form in your gallbladder, a small pouch-like organ near your liver. The gallbladder stores bile, a fluid your body uses to digest fats. Gallstones, which often consist of hardened cholesterol (a common dietary fat), affect 9% of women and 6% of men in the United States.

Many people have gallstones without suffering any symptoms. However, if the gallstones move or get bigger, they could cause intense upper abdominal pain. 

Some gallstones travel into the bile duct, a tube connecting the gallbladder and liver to your small intestine. The stones may pass through if small enough but can also get stuck, causing bile duct stones.

Bile duct stones block your bile duct, so liver and pancreas enzymes can’t aid digestion. This can cause serious health problems and is also very painful.

Why would I have bile duct stones?

Anyone could have gallstones that become bile duct stones, but your risk is higher with:

• Family history of gallstones
• Pregnancy
• Being over 40 years old
• Excess body weight
• A diet that’s very high in fats
• Inactive lifestyle

Symptomatic bile duct stones cause pain in the upper-right abdomen under the ribs and may radiate to your back or shoulder. Pain typically appears suddenly and may come and go or last for hours. If bile duct stones affect liver function, you may develop jaundice — yellowish skin or eyes.

Other symptoms include dark urine, pancreatitis (inflammation in the pancreas), and white or clay-colored stools.

How will my doctor diagnose bile duct stones?

Your symptoms indicate that gallstones or bile duct stones are likely. You may need to undergo blood tests and diagnostic imaging procedures to confirm the diagnosis and assess your condition's severity.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) might also be necessary. The Wake Endoscopy team injects a specialized dye into your bloodstream or directly into the bile ducts. The dye concentrates in the bile ducts and gallbladder, highlighting abnormalities on X-rays.

The team examines the X-rays to identify bile duct stones, gallstones, pancreatitis, and pancreatic cancer. If you have bile duct stones, you might need surgery to remove them and possibly the gallbladder.

Call Wake Endoscopy if you have bile duct stone symptoms, or arrange an appointment online today.