What term describes gallstones?

• A. Cholecystitis
• B. Cholangitis
• C. Cholelithiasis
• D. Cholecystectomy

Answer: (C)

The main idea is naming the condition of having gallstones. Gallstones are stones that form within the gallbladder or biliary tract, and the term for this condition is cholelithiasis. The word breaks down into chole- meaning bile or gall, lith- meaning stone, and -iasis indicating a condition or presence of something. So it literally means a gallstone condition.

Cholecystitis describes inflammation of the gallbladder itself, usually due to obstruction by a stone, and cholelitis refers to infection or inflammation of the bile ducts. Neither term names the presence of stones. Cholecystectomy is the surgical removal of the gallbladder, not a description of the stones themselves.