1.What is the gallbladder? Where does the bile come from? What is its function? A: The gallbladder is a pear-shaped structure attached to the open extrahepatic bile duct under the liver, and is called the gallbladder because it stores part of the bile from the liver. Bile is produced by liver cells and is discharged into the intestine through the intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts to help digest food. 2.How are gallstones formed? A: There are many things in bile that are normally in a dissolved state, just like sugar or table salt dissolved in water. If the concentration is too high, some of them will form crystals, which then grow further and become clumps, staying or blocking in the biliary system, affecting the flow of bile, and stones are formed. Due to the different composition of gallstones, the formation site and growth time are different, and their appearance and structure are also varied, large like eggs, small like mud and sand. 3.What are the dangers of gallstones? What are the dangers of gallbladder stones? A: Apart from causing biliary colic, hidden pain and indigestion, the greater danger of gallstones is to cause jaundice, bile duct septicemia, pancreatic inflammation and even death. Gallstones can cause cancer if they irritate the bile duct wall or gallbladder wall for a long time. Patients with gallbladder stones all have chronic inflammation of the gallbladder, and long-term irritation causes the gallbladder to lose its contractile function, and a few of them can become cancerous. If the stone is blocked in the abdomen or the cystic duct, it can cause pain like cutting. If changing position or medication cannot make the stone leave the obstruction site, high pressure will be generated in the gallbladder, and the blood supply to the gallbladder wall will be reduced or stopped, so bacteria can easily enter and produce a lot of toxins, causing necrosis or even perforation of the gallbladder wall. The lower end of the common bile duct can stimulate the narrowing of the lower end, so that this special structure like a door is destroyed, causing septic cholangitis, which will be a lifelong sequelae. Therefore, if you have gallbladder stones, you should treat them early and don’t take any chances.