Hepatolithiasis: epidemiology and classification.

Hepatolithiasis or intrahepatic stone is more common among East Asian countries than in Western world. The relative incidence (i.e. hepatolithiasis cases against all cases with gallstone disease) in the Western countries is approximately 1% whereas in Taiwan, South Korea, the People's Republic of China it has been reported to be 20%, 18% and 38-45% respectively. There are two types of hepatolithiasis and in East Asian countries one usually finds pigmented stone. The disease appears to be more common among people with low socio-economic status. No single worldwide accepted classification of hepatolithiasis exists at present.