About 15% of people with gallstones will develop stones in the common bile duct, the small tube that carries bile from the gallbladder to the intestine. Symptoms are usually not present unless obstruction of the common bile duct occurs. Even after the gallbladder is removed, a stone may remain in or develop in the common bile duct causing pain or jaundice. Complete, persistent obstruction of the common bile duct can cause cholangitis, a life threatening infection of the biliary tree, which is a medical emergency. An obstruction of the common bile duct can also lead to an obstruction of the pancreatic duct, which may cause pancreatitis. Risk factors include a previous medical history of cholelithiasis (gallstones).
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