American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Certification Practice Test

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Which condition is described as the presence of gallstones?

  1. Cholecystitis

  2. Cholelithiasis

  3. Hydronephrosis

  4. Nephrolithiasis

The correct answer is: Cholelithiasis

The presence of gallstones is specifically referred to as cholelithiasis. This term comes from the Greek words "chole," meaning bile, and "lithos," meaning stone, indicating that the condition involves the formation of stones in the gallbladder as a result of imbalances in the substances that make up bile. In contrast, cholecystitis refers to inflammation of the gallbladder, which may be caused by gallstones but is not synonymous with the presence of gallstones itself. Hydronephrosis relates to the swelling of a kidney due to a build-up of urine, typically caused by a blockage in the urinary tract, which is unrelated to gallstones. Nephrolithiasis is the formation of stones in the kidney, known commonly as kidney stones, and again does not pertain to gallbladder stones. Therefore, the accurate terminology to describe the presence of gallstones is cholelithiasis.