Gallstones (cholelithiasis)
Gallstones are among the most common disorders of the digestive tract. Many people are unaware of them for years – they are revealed only by a chance ultrasound finding or a first biliary colic after a fatty meal. At the Proctocare clinic in Bratislava we diagnose them and resolve them definitively with laparoscopic surgery on a day-surgery basis.
- Operated by MUDr. Ivan Majeský – a surgeon with more than 20 years of experience in minimally invasive surgery
- Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery with a same-day return home
- No referral and no waiting lists – a private clinic in Bratislava
Bratislava – Bernolákova 9 (STEIN II)
What gallstones are
Gallstones (cholelithiasis) form in the gallbladder when components of bile crystallize – most often cholesterol, less often bile pigments. They can be as tiny as grains of sand or several centimeters across, a single stone or dozens.
Most stones cause no symptoms at all for a long time and are found by chance during an abdominal ultrasound done for another reason. Trouble starts when a stone blocks the outlet of the gallbladder – that is when biliary colic strikes, typically after a fatty or heavy meal.
Stones do not go away on their own, and medication cannot reliably remove them. Once they have caused problems, the problems usually keep coming back, and the risk of complications such as gallbladder inflammation grows too.
Symptoms
How gallstones make themselves known
- Biliary colic – severe cramping pain under the right rib cage, often after a fatty meal
- Pain radiating to the back or under the right shoulder blade
- Nausea, vomiting, a feeling of fullness and bloating
- Intolerance of fatty, fried and heavy foods
- Some patients have no symptoms – the stones are a chance finding on an ultrasound
Causes and risk factors
- Bile composition with a higher proportion of cholesterol
- Female sex, hormonal influences and pregnancy
- Excess weight, but also rapid weight loss and crash diets
- Age over 40 and gallstones in the family
- A diet rich in fats and simple sugars, irregular eating
- Diabetes and certain other metabolic disorders
Diagnosis
The cornerstone of diagnosis is an abdominal ultrasound examination, which shows the stones reliably, supplemented by blood tests (liver function tests, inflammatory markers). The surgeon reviews the results at the consultation and recommends the next steps.
If you already have an ultrasound finding from another doctor, bring it with you – we can then focus the surgical consultation directly on planning the solution. To book, call +421 948 687 667; you need no referral.
Treatment at the Proctocare clinic
The definitive solution for symptomatic stones is gallbladder removal
Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery
Gentle removal of the gallbladder together with the stones through 3–4 small incisions under general anesthesia. You go home the same day, and the check is part of the post-operative care.
Surgical consultation
Assessment of your findings, an explanation of the options and surgery planning with no waiting lists. Also suitable as a second opinion on an ultrasound finding.
Stones without symptoms may not require immediate surgery – we always assess the approach honestly and individually at the consultation.
When to seek help immediately
Some conditions do not belong in an outpatient clinic but in the emergency department
- Severe abdominal pain that does not ease for several hours
- Colic accompanied by fever or chills
- Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes, dark urine, pale stools
- Repeated vomiting and overall exhaustion
Related topics
Gallbladder inflammation
The most common complication of gallstones. Read how it presents and when it belongs in a hospital.
Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery
How gentle gallbladder removal on a day-surgery basis works and what recovery looks like.
Author and medical review: Day-surgery operations are performed by MUDr. Ivan Majeský – a surgeon focusing on minimally invasive and day surgery, with over 20 years of experience and more than 1,000 laparoscopic procedures. · Last medical review: July 2026
Troubled by gallstones? Let's solve them once and for all
Book an appointment for a surgical consultation – no referral and no waiting lists.
Bratislava: Bernolákova 9, 811 07 (STEIN II) · Mon–Fri 07:30–19:30, Sat 07:30–12:30
info@proctocare.sk
Gallstones (cholelithiasis)
Gallstones are among the most common disorders of the digestive tract. Many people are unaware of them for years – they are revealed only by a chance ultrasound finding or a first biliary colic after a fatty meal. At the Proctocare clinic in Bratislava we diagnose them and resolve them definitively with laparoscopic surgery on a day-surgery basis.
- Operated by MUDr. Ivan Majeský – a surgeon with more than 20 years of experience in minimally invasive surgery
- Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery with a same-day return home
- No referral and no waiting lists – a private clinic in Bratislava
Bratislava – Bernolákova 9 (STEIN II)
What gallstones are
Gallstones (cholelithiasis) form in the gallbladder when components of bile crystallize – most often cholesterol, less often bile pigments. They can be as tiny as grains of sand or several centimeters across, a single stone or dozens.
Most stones cause no symptoms at all for a long time and are found by chance during an abdominal ultrasound done for another reason. Trouble starts when a stone blocks the outlet of the gallbladder – that is when biliary colic strikes, typically after a fatty or heavy meal.
Stones do not go away on their own, and medication cannot reliably remove them. Once they have caused problems, the problems usually keep coming back, and the risk of complications such as gallbladder inflammation grows too.
Symptoms
How gallstones make themselves known
- Biliary colic – severe cramping pain under the right rib cage, often after a fatty meal
- Pain radiating to the back or under the right shoulder blade
- Nausea, vomiting, a feeling of fullness and bloating
- Intolerance of fatty, fried and heavy foods
- Some patients have no symptoms – the stones are a chance finding on an ultrasound
Causes and risk factors
- Bile composition with a higher proportion of cholesterol
- Female sex, hormonal influences and pregnancy
- Excess weight, but also rapid weight loss and crash diets
- Age over 40 and gallstones in the family
- A diet rich in fats and simple sugars, irregular eating
- Diabetes and certain other metabolic disorders
Diagnosis
The cornerstone of diagnosis is an abdominal ultrasound examination, which shows the stones reliably, supplemented by blood tests (liver function tests, inflammatory markers). The surgeon reviews the results at the consultation and recommends the next steps.
If you already have an ultrasound finding from another doctor, bring it with you – we can then focus the surgical consultation directly on planning the solution. To book, call +421 948 687 667; you need no referral.
Treatment at the Proctocare clinic
The definitive solution for symptomatic stones is gallbladder removal
Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery
Gentle removal of the gallbladder together with the stones through 3–4 small incisions under general anesthesia. You go home the same day, and the check is part of the post-operative care.
Surgical consultation
Assessment of your findings, an explanation of the options and surgery planning with no waiting lists. Also suitable as a second opinion on an ultrasound finding.
Stones without symptoms may not require immediate surgery – we always assess the approach honestly and individually at the consultation.
When to seek help immediately
Some conditions do not belong in an outpatient clinic but in the emergency department
- Severe abdominal pain that does not ease for several hours
- Colic accompanied by fever or chills
- Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes, dark urine, pale stools
- Repeated vomiting and overall exhaustion
Related topics
Gallbladder inflammation
The most common complication of gallstones. Read how it presents and when it belongs in a hospital.
Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery
How gentle gallbladder removal on a day-surgery basis works and what recovery looks like.
Author and medical review: Day-surgery operations are performed by MUDr. Ivan Majeský – a surgeon focusing on minimally invasive and day surgery, with over 20 years of experience and more than 1,000 laparoscopic procedures. · Last medical review: July 2026
Troubled by gallstones? Let's solve them once and for all
Book an appointment for a surgical consultation – no referral and no waiting lists.
Bratislava: Bernolákova 9, 811 07 (STEIN II) · Mon–Fri 07:30–19:30, Sat 07:30–12:30
info@proctocare.sk
Gallstones (cholelithiasis)
Gallstones are among the most common disorders of the digestive tract. Many people are unaware of them for years – they are revealed only by a chance ultrasound finding or a first biliary colic after a fatty meal. At the Proctocare clinic in Bratislava we diagnose them and resolve them definitively with laparoscopic surgery on a day-surgery basis.
- Operated by MUDr. Ivan Majeský – a surgeon with more than 20 years of experience in minimally invasive surgery
- Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery with a same-day return home
- No referral and no waiting lists – a private clinic in Bratislava
Bratislava – Bernolákova 9 (STEIN II)
What gallstones are
Gallstones (cholelithiasis) form in the gallbladder when components of bile crystallize – most often cholesterol, less often bile pigments. They can be as tiny as grains of sand or several centimeters across, a single stone or dozens.
Most stones cause no symptoms at all for a long time and are found by chance during an abdominal ultrasound done for another reason. Trouble starts when a stone blocks the outlet of the gallbladder – that is when biliary colic strikes, typically after a fatty or heavy meal.
Stones do not go away on their own, and medication cannot reliably remove them. Once they have caused problems, the problems usually keep coming back, and the risk of complications such as gallbladder inflammation grows too.
Symptoms
How gallstones make themselves known
- Biliary colic – severe cramping pain under the right rib cage, often after a fatty meal
- Pain radiating to the back or under the right shoulder blade
- Nausea, vomiting, a feeling of fullness and bloating
- Intolerance of fatty, fried and heavy foods
- Some patients have no symptoms – the stones are a chance finding on an ultrasound
Causes and risk factors
- Bile composition with a higher proportion of cholesterol
- Female sex, hormonal influences and pregnancy
- Excess weight, but also rapid weight loss and crash diets
- Age over 40 and gallstones in the family
- A diet rich in fats and simple sugars, irregular eating
- Diabetes and certain other metabolic disorders
Diagnosis
The cornerstone of diagnosis is an abdominal ultrasound examination, which shows the stones reliably, supplemented by blood tests (liver function tests, inflammatory markers). The surgeon reviews the results at the consultation and recommends the next steps.
If you already have an ultrasound finding from another doctor, bring it with you – we can then focus the surgical consultation directly on planning the solution. To book, call +421 948 687 667; you need no referral.
Treatment at the Proctocare clinic
The definitive solution for symptomatic stones is gallbladder removal
Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery
Gentle removal of the gallbladder together with the stones through 3–4 small incisions under general anesthesia. You go home the same day, and the check is part of the post-operative care.
Surgical consultation
Assessment of your findings, an explanation of the options and surgery planning with no waiting lists. Also suitable as a second opinion on an ultrasound finding.
Stones without symptoms may not require immediate surgery – we always assess the approach honestly and individually at the consultation.
When to seek help immediately
Some conditions do not belong in an outpatient clinic but in the emergency department
- Severe abdominal pain that does not ease for several hours
- Colic accompanied by fever or chills
- Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes, dark urine, pale stools
- Repeated vomiting and overall exhaustion
Related topics
Gallbladder inflammation
The most common complication of gallstones. Read how it presents and when it belongs in a hospital.
Laparoscopic gallbladder surgery
How gentle gallbladder removal on a day-surgery basis works and what recovery looks like.
Author and medical review: Day-surgery operations are performed by MUDr. Ivan Majeský – a surgeon focusing on minimally invasive and day surgery, with over 20 years of experience and more than 1,000 laparoscopic procedures. · Last medical review: July 2026
Troubled by gallstones? Let's solve them once and for all
Book an appointment for a surgical consultation – no referral and no waiting lists.
Bratislava: Bernolákova 9, 811 07 (STEIN II) · Mon–Fri 07:30–19:30, Sat 07:30–12:30
info@proctocare.sk