Biliary Colic
Biliary colic are intermittent pain in the upper abdomen usually under the right side of the rib cage. This pain occurs when something blocks the normal flow of bile from the gallbladder. Bile is a fluid that helps digest fats. Under normal circumstances, bile is produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder.
When you eat a meal, bile passes from the gallbladder through the cystic duct and common bile duct into the small intestine where it mixes with digested food.
Gallstones are the most common cause of biliary colic. If a calculation is obstructed in any of these pipes, the normal flow of bile into the intestines is altered. Muscle cells in the bile duct contract vigorously to try to move the stone, causing biliary colic pain. A bile duct stricture or a tumor can block the bile flow and cause biliary colic.