Around 1000 stones removed from 30-year-old Pune woman’s gallbladder

“She had small 1 to 2 mm greenish yellow stones; most likely cholesterol stones,” Dr Shah said. Genes that influence the production of cholesterol have a role to play in gallstone risk and in her case there could have been a genetic tendency of condensation of cholesterol in the bile.

Gallstones are hardened deposits of digestive juice called bile that form in the cavity of the gallbladder. The causes of gallstones can be attributed to a high fat diet, heredity, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.

“The woman suffered from excruciating abdominal pain due to the presence of gallstones that interfered with her daily routine. She would cry out loudly in pain and struggled a lot as there was a significant obstruction in the outlet of her gallbladder due to the significant accumulation of stones. We had to perform a 20 minute laparoscopic cholecystectomy (laparoscopic removal of gallbladder) with only three punctures,” Dr Shah told The Indian Express.

The procedure was performed a week ago and she has recovered well, he added.

He added, “The lifestyles and diet has changed and the incidences of gallstones have increased from 5 to 10 per cent to 20 per cent in the Indian population.”

He also said patients, especially those with diabetes, should get gallstones treated early because complications can include infection and gangrene.