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Medical Definition of Common bile duct calculi
1. The presence of gallstones in the common bile duct. It is usually the result of passage of gallstones formed in the gallbladder into the common duct. Less commonly, stones form in a duct behind an obstruction caused by a stricture or ampullary stenosis. Stone type helps to determine site of origin: cholesterol or black pigment stones more likely form in the gallbladder, while almost all brown pigment stones in patients from western countries form in the bile ducts. (12 Dec 1998)