Gallstones · Guide
Gallstones explorer: guide
Show the gallbladder and bile ducts within the body, enter the number, size and place of the stones from the scan report, explain the treatment and share a matching picture sheet.
For patients and families
Look at the picture together
The picture opens with the whole body. Choose Abdomen to see the liver, with the gallbladder tucked underneath it, then Gallbladder close-up to move close. The liver, stomach and bowel are see-through so the gallbladder and bile ducts can be seen. Drag to turn it and scroll or pinch to zoom.
Show what your scan found
Your clinician can enter how many gallstones there are, how big the largest one is and where it is: in the gallbladder, in its neck, or in the bile duct. They can also show if the gallbladder is inflamed (cholecystitis). The slice in the corner shows a cut through the body at the level of the largest stone. The shapes are schematic, not a copy of your scan. Gallstones are not cancer.
Things you could ask
“Can you show me where the stones are, using my scan report?”
“What would happen in each treatment?”
“How will I eat and feel afterwards?”
Take it home
Ask for a picture sheet with the views you discussed, your team’s explanation, what the gallbladder does and where to find help. A QR code reopens the same model settings on your phone. Names, notes and contact details are never included in that code or saved online.
For clinicians
Start with orientation
The explorer adds the gallbladder, cystic duct, common hepatic and common bile ducts, duodenum and pancreas, with the see-through liver, stomach and bowel, kidneys and spine, to the shared body, renderer and labels from the rectal explorer. The liver, bile duct, duodenum and pancreas are the same as in the pancreas explorer. It opens at normal anatomy with no stones or treatment.
Set up from the report
| Control | What to set |
|---|---|
| Gallstones on the model | Add the stones. Changing any stone setting also adds them. |
| How many stones | One, a few or many, as described on ultrasound or MRCP. With a few or many, the other stones are drawn smaller than the largest as an example; their number and sizes are not measurements. |
| Largest stone | 1–50 mm, from the report. The number box and slider stay in step. A stone wider than the model gallbladder stretches the drawn gallbladder, and the summary says so. |
| Where the largest stone is | In the gallbladder, in the gallbladder neck or cystic duct, or in the common bile duct. Only the largest stone is placed; any others are drawn in the gallbladder. |
| Gallbladder wall thickened or inflamed | Yes draws a thicker, redder wall and explains that an inflamed gallbladder is called cholecystitis. The model does not decide whether cholecystitis is present. |
Explain a selected plan
Keyhole gallbladder removal (laparoscopic cholecystectomy) colours the gallbladder and cystic duct teal; After surgery shows the clipped cystic duct stump with the gallbladder gone. A stone in the common bile duct stays in the picture, because removing the gallbladder does not remove it. ERCP shows the endoscope in the duodenum and marks a bile duct stone in teal; it has no after view. A stent is described but not drawn. Watching and waiting with diet advice draws nothing extra. The team selects the plan; the model does not check whether a plan suits the findings.
Picture sheet and QR code
Capture up to four views with Snapshot, then use Picture sheet (PDF). The sheet can include a help and support page. The QR link stores validated model settings only. Changing any model setting clears older snapshots.
Limits
- Only the largest stone is placed from the report; others are illustrative. Sludge, polyps, a stone stuck in the bowel, pancreatitis and a widened (dilated) bile duct above a stone are not shown.
- The gallbladder’s and stones’ shapes are schematic. Bile duct anatomy varies a lot between people.
- Open surgery, drains, bile duct exploration during surgery and medicines are not shown.
Sources and review
Practising upper GI or HPB surgeon and gastroenterologist review is still needed for clinical teaching use. Please send corrections through feedback.