Common bile duct stones

Common bile duct stones may be present several years after a cholecystectomy. About 75% of CBD stones can be delineated by ultrasound although detection will be limited when bile duct dilatation is absent. Other useful non-invasive imaging modalities include CT and MRI of the biliary tree. Cholelithiasis represents the presence of gallstones within the gallbladder; choledocholithiasis is the presence of gallstones within the common bile (10% of patients with gallstones have choledocholithiasis, which is sometimes called common duct stones).