
What
is the main pathology shown above?
Is this a good investigation for this condition ?
What other tests are commonly used for this condition ?
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(See below for more detail)
Gall stones are classified as mixed, pigment or cholesterol
although all gall stones contain a variety of substances in differing proportions.
Cholesterol stones tend to be large in size, often solitary and white in colour.
Mixed stones are by far the most common and contain bilirubinates, phosphates,
carbonates, calcium and other substances together with cholesterol. They are
green, yellow, brown or black in colour, usually multiple and small in size.
Pigment stones consist largely of calcium bilirubinate. They are prevalent
in the far east and also occur in patients with accelerated red cell destruction
such as in haemolytic anaemias and in patients with metal heart valves which
cause red cell damage. Less than 10% of patients have sufficient calcium in
their stones to appear on plain xray. Most gall stones form in the gall bladder
where the bile is concentrated and stasis occurs. In 10-15% of patients, stones
migrate into the common bile duct where they may cause jaundice, cholangitis
or pancreatitis. There have been reports of gall stones forming in the CBD
in patients who have had their gall bladder removed although this is an uncommon
event.