Overview of Gallstones The biliary system is designed to transport, store, concentrate, and excrete bile. Therefore, if there are variations in the anatomy and physiology of the biliary system or in the composition of bile, solid crystals may form in any part of the biliary system, causing obstruction of the bile duct and further stimulating the biliary system. This can lead to cancerous lesions in the biliary system. Although gallstones are an ancient disease, after thousands of years of clinical observation and research, the true cause of the stones is not yet clear, but according to epidemiological studies, gallstones and other biliary stones are found to have different etiologies, clinical symptoms, treatment, disease prevention and treatment prognosis. Gallstones are a common disease, especially in the 20-25 age group with a high incidence. According to statistics, women are 2 to 4 times more likely than men to have gallstones. The formation of gallstones is closely related to bad habits, and common causes include: being quiet and less active, being obese, overeating, not eating breakfast, etc. Women who are pregnant and have many children are more likely to have gallstones. As a matter of fact, gallstones are related to liver function and bile metabolism, and abnormal liver function can also cause changes in bile composition; therefore, in clinical practice, patients with chronic hepatitis, especially cirrhosis, have a higher incidence of gallstones. Conversely, the most common causes of other biliary stones are mostly due to congenital strictures of the bile duct itself or infection of the bile duct by intestinal bacteria, mainly Escherichia coli, which causes damage to the endothelial cells of the bile duct and, together with the variation of the bile composition, the formation of stones. Furthermore, gallstones are composed mainly of bile, including cholesterol, bile pigments, and even calcium ions. Under normal chemical and physical conditions, most people do not develop gallstones, but if an individual has an improper diet or bile duct infection, coupled with obstruction of the excretory pathway, an excessive amount of the substance may be analyzed and precipitated to form stones. Therefore, in the daily diet, one should avoid foods high in sugars, fats and even cholesterol to avoid uneven distribution of the three lipids in the bile: cholesterol, lecithin and bile acids, which may lead to stone crystals; if an individual consumes too much cholesterol, he or she will easily develop “cholesterol stones”. “In addition, individuals with habitual constipation are more likely to have intestinal bacteria, especially Escherichia coli, travel up the bile duct and cause bacterial infections in the bile duct, which can easily produce stones; furthermore, according to epidemiological studies, patients with chronic hepatitis or even cirrhosis are also more likely to have pigmented stones.