 [ Symptoms ] how are gallstones diagnosed [ Disease ] if your doctor suspects you have gallstones he or she will do a physical examination and may perform various other tests including the following blood tests to check for signs of infection or obstruction andor to rule out other conditions ultrasound  this procedure transmits high frequency sound waves through the body the echoes are recorded and transformed into images of various parts of the body an ultrasound can be used to identify gallstones cat scan  this test uses specialized x rays to create cross section images of organs and body tissues cholescintigraphy hida scan  this test can determine whether the gallbladder is contracting correctly a radioactive material is injected into the patient and makes its way to the gallbladder the technician can then observe the movement of the gallbladder endoscopic ultrasound  this test combines ultrasound and endoscopy to look for gallstones endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography  the doctor inserts an endoscope through the patient is mouth down to the small intestine and injects a dye to allow the bile ducts to be seen the doctor can then remove gallstones that have moved into the ducts