Is the incidence of intrahepatic bile duct stones high?
Intrahepatic bile duct stones have a relatively low incidence rate. They are a type of gallstone, and compared to gallbladder stones, their occurrence is less frequent. Patients with intrahepatic bile duct stones often experience concurrent cholangitis, leading to symptoms such as upper abdominal pain, significant nausea, and vomiting, along with other gastrointestinal symptoms. Therefore, for patients with intrahepatic bile duct stones, when significant symptoms occur, not only is the use of antibiotics necessary to treat the infection and control the inflammation, but surgery is also required to achieve therapeutic effects. The primary surgical method is choledochotomy for stone removal, which can lead to better treatment outcomes after the stones are extracted.