Gallstones are small, stone-like materials found in the gall bladder. The gall bladder is a small sac that contains bile, which is the digestive fluid produced by the liver to break down fat.
Gallstones are made of hardened bile. Bile is comprised of cholesterol, water, fat, bile salts and bilirubin (red blood cells waste product). Bile that contains high levels of cholesterol, bilirubin or bile salts becomes less aqueous and hardens into stones.
Gallstones can form one large gallstone in the size of a golf ball, form several little stones or a combination of both. There are 2 types of gallstones:
- Cholesterol stones, which are the most common type
- Pigment stones, which are formed when there is a high level of bilirubin in the system
You may have a mixture of both cholesterol and pigment stones.