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Photos: Over 200 gallstones removed from woman in ONE operation

The operation took more than six hours

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Surgeons in China have removed over 200 gallstones from a woman's body, which they claim were most likely formed because she skipped breakfast - for more than a decade.
Removed in one operation - that lasted more than six hours - the stones were found in her gallbladder and liver. The operation took place on July 15 and lasted six and a half hours, according to the Guangji Hospital in Hezhou.
Some of the stones were as large as eggs, according to the hospital.
Identified as 45-year-old Ms Chen, the Daily Mail reported that she makes a living by collecting rosin - a yellow or brown sticky substance that comes from pine trees.  
Commenting on her situation, doctors further said that her meals often comprised leftovers at irregular hours.
Chen reportedly started experiencing abdominal pain more than 10 years ago. Doctors, back then, had advised her to undergo surgery, but she refused as she was afraid.
Also read: 1,600 gallstones removed from Emirati woman
She was recently admitted in the hospital after her abdominal pain had become 'unbearable'.

What are gallstones?

Gallstones, formed in the gallbladder, are tiny crystals usually made of cholesterol. Liver stones are essentially the same, but are formed in the liver.

In Chen's case, one of the surgeons - who performed the operation - revealed that many of his patients who suffered from gallstones liked skipping or rushing their breakfast.

According to Dr Quan, when a person doesn't eat breakfast, their gallbladder would stop shrinking or expanding. This could cause the bile to build up in the gallbladder, leading to high cholesterol and calcium levels. 
However, experts are divided on what causes gallstones.
UK-based, Dr Webster said stones in the gallbladder as well as the ducts in the liver were a common problem worldwide, but the cause is often unclear, Daily Mail reported.

Hezhou Guangji Hospital