Laboratory tests in primary care · by Dr Solange Déplanque and Dr Michaël Rochoy

Biliary colic (symptomatic gallstones): spot a complication

Gastroenterology and hepatology · Symptom or situation · updated 2026-10-31

BioMG follows French guidelines. Adapt it to the guidelines and the tests available where you practise.

Frequency: Gallstones in 10 to 20% of Westerners, asymptomatic in about 80% of cases [1]

Biliary colic without fever or jaundice

Laboratory tests

Detailed explanation and international comparison (in French): read it in English (machine translation)

Do not order

Fever, jaundice or prolonged pain: complication

Detailed explanation and international comparison (in French): read it in English (machine translation)

Sources (7)
  1. European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL). EASL Clinical Practice Guidelines on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of gallstones. J Hepatol. 2016;65(1):146-181.
  2. Manes G, Paspatis G, Aabakken L, et al. Endoscopic management of common bile duct stones: European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE) guideline. Endoscopy. 2019;51(5):472-491.
  3. ASGE Standards of Practice Committee; Buxbaum JL, Abbas Fehmi SM, Sultan S, et al. ASGE guideline on the role of endoscopy in the evaluation and management of choledocholithiasis. Gastrointest Endosc. 2019;89(6):1075-1105.e15.
  4. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Gallstone disease: diagnosis and management. Clinical guideline CG188, 29 octobre 2014 : chapitre Recommendations (sections 1.1 et 1.2).
  5. National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. Routine preoperative tests for elective surgery. NICE guideline NG45, 5 avril 2016 : tableaux 2 et 3 (chirurgie intermédiaire, chirurgie majeure ou complexe).
  6. Fujita N, Yasuda I, Endo I, et al. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for cholelithiasis 2021 (Japanese Society of Gastroenterology). J Gastroenterol 2023;58(9):801-833.
  7. Kiriyama S, Kozaka K, Takada T, et al. Tokyo Guidelines 2018: diagnostic criteria and severity grading of acute cholangitis (with videos). J Hepatobiliary Pancreat Sci. 2018;25(1):17-30.