Patients with diseases of the biliary tract (which includes the hepatic bili canaliculi, hepatic bile ducts, common bile duct, and gallbladder) typically present with symptoms that include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and jaundice. This review covers the pathophysiology, assessment and stabilization, diagnosis and treatment, and disposition and outcomes for common biliary tract emergencies (cholelithiasis, acute cholecystitis, choledocholithiasis, and ascending cholangitis).
This review contains 5 figures, 11 tables, and 34 references.
Keywords: Cholelithiasis, gallbladder disease, acute cholecystitis, gallstones, choledocholithiasis, ascending cholangitis