Pathophysiology of Gallstones

Abstract

Gallstones are the stones developing in the gallbladder. Evolution of pathophysiology changes the trends of treatment of a disease. Laparoscopic revolution was only because of gallstones diseases. The shifting of food habits increased the incidence of diseases in developing countries. There are mainly three types of stones Cholesterol, pigment and brown stones. The pathophysiology of which is different for each type. Cholesterol stones being most common owing to the risk factors being prevalent in the developing and developed societies. Pigment stones being most common in blood disorder patients while brown stones are most common in common bile duct and are infected ones.

NMR spectroscopy-based analysis of gallstones of cancerous and benign gallbladders from different geographical regions of the Indian subcontinent

“…The pigment stones were reported to be made up of bilirubin and calcium carbonate. These pigment stones were formed probably due to infection rather than supersaturation of bile [34]. Pigment gallstone formation is also linked with haemolytic disorders [35].…”

Role of Secretory Mucins in the Occurrence and Development of Cholelithiasis

“…Mucin gels can be considered the precursor of stones to promote stone formation [ 46 , 47 ]. Typically, mucin gel initially accumulates in the glandular crypts of the gallbladder mucosa, and subsequent crescent accumulation facilitates accelerated nucleation [ 48 ]. In addition, the non-glycosylated mucin domain contains hydrophobic binding sites that can bind to substances such as cholesterol, phospholipids, and bilirubin, and this characteristic can also create favourable conditions for stone nucleation [ 29 ].…”