Is it Cholelithiasis or Choledocholithiasis?
A student recently shared she still has a hard time distinguishing the terms cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis.
“What’s the difference?” she asked.
Excellent question!
Let’s take a closer look.
Word Parts and Combining Forms
Both terms can be generally defined through the meaning of their parts, so we will begin with word parts and combining forms.
| Word Part/Combining Form | Definition |
| chol/e | gall, bile |
| choledoch/o | common bile duct |
| lith/o | stone, calculus |
| -iasis | condition |
So here we see that the combining forms for “gall, bile” and “common bile duct” are similar. I notice that choledoch/o has a “d” just like “duct” in its definition.
This helps me remember that when I see a term constructed from the combining form choledoch/o it will in some way refer to the common bile duct.
Medical Terms
In looking at the terms through the meaning of their word parts and combining forms, we find the following general definitions:
chol/e/lith/iasis, condition of gallstones
choledoch/o/lith/iasis, condition of stones in the common bile duct
More specifically, cholelithiasis refers to gallstones formed in the gallbladder and occurring anywhere in the biliary tract (hepatic duct, cystic duct, and common bile duct), though the most common location is the gallbladder.
Choledocholithiasis indicates the presence of one or more stones within the common bile duct, which is the passageway that carries bile from the gallbladder and liver to the duodenum.
From this I can see that cholelithiasis tells “what” and choledocholithiasis gives a bit more information overtly, telling “what and where.”
So we have taken a step towards sorting out the difference between cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis. May your studies go well!
Until next time,
Danielle
Read Other Medical Terms Posts > Read Other Faculty Tips >
Reference List
Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary, 32e. (2012). Philadelphia: Saunders/Elsevier.
Heuman, D.M. (2014). Cholelithiasis. WebMD LLC. Retrieved from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/175667-overview#aw2aab6b2b1aa.
LaFleur Brooks, M., LaFleur Brooks, D. (2018). Exploring Medical Language, 10e. St. Louis: Mosby/Elsevier.
Common Sites… image from Exploring Medical Language, 10e. St. Louis: Mosby/Elsevier.
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