Cholesterol Gallstones : Appearance

Comments:
Cholesterol gallstones have a crystalline or laminated appearance on cut surface. Pure cholesterol stones (100% cholesterol monohydrate) are yellow inside and out. However, they make up only about 10% of all cholesterol stones.

The remainder of the cholesterol stones (mixed stones) have at least 50% cholesterol and varying amounts of calcium bilirubinate, calcium carbonate and other compounds. On cut surface, they have a laminated or layered appearance (shown here) with yellow layers of cholesterol monohydrate alternating with concentric darker pigmented rings of calcium bilirubinate, other calcium salts, and mucin glycoproteins.

Image courtesy of: Dr. Sanjay D. Deshmukh (Professor of Pathology), Dr. Jayant M. Gadekar (Chief of Surgery), and Dr. Priyanka Ingole (Senior Resident in Pathology), Dr. Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Foundation's Medical College and Hospitals, Ahmednagar, India.