What is the gallbladder?

The gallbladder is a small sac below the liver that holds bile. Bile is made by the liver and is used to help digest fats. After a fatty meal, the gallbladder contracts to push bile into the intestines.

What are gallstones?

Some people develop "stones" in the gallbladder. These stones can be as small as grains of sand or as big as golf balls. Most people with small stones have no symptoms. You may have stones and not even know it. Obese women who are in their 40s and 50s are at highest risk for gallstones.

Bile ducts connect the gallbladder to the liver and the intestines. You may get pain in your abdomen if a gallstone blocks a bile duct. This pain can be severe, but usually goes away within a few hours.

Why does the gallbladder need to be removed?

If you have gallstones and frequent abdominal pain, talk to your doctor about possible surgery. You may notice pain in the upper right abdomen after eating fatty meals. It's best to keep away from fast food.

Painful gallstones may end up causing serious problems because of inflammation and infection. This can lead to permanent scarring. The stones can also cause inflammation in the pancreas. All of these conditions can be serious and life-threatening, calling for surgery.

Surgery to remove the gallbladder is called a cholecystectomy. If you have gallstones that aren't painful, surgery isn't necessary.

How is the gallbladder removed?

There are several ways to take out a gallbladder. Most surgeons prefer laparoscopy (using a fiber-optic scope inserted through a small incision). In some cases, traditional surgery may be necessary, leaving a large scar.

If the gallbladder is found to be severely inflamed during laparoscopic surgery, the procedure may then be turned into a traditional operation.

How long does the procedure take?

The surgery can take less than an hour, but it really depends on several other things. The preparation and recovery time will add a few hours. Usually, general anesthesia (being put to sleep) is used. You won't remember anything from the surgery and you'll wake up in the recovery area.

Most patients go home on the same day if there are no serious complications. You will stay for several days if traditional surgery is performed. The large incision will take a while to heal.

What are the risks?

The operation is considered low risk, so major problems are rare. Bleeding and infection are possible at the incision. There is a very small risk of injuring other internal organs. Other risks, including death, are very rare.

Are there other treatments?

Medications don't work well for gallstones. Although there are ways to drain the gallbladder and remove the stones, surgery is still the best method.

Talk to your doctor if you think you have gallstones.

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External Sources American College of Surgeons National Institutes of Health (NIH) The Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons

This article was reviewed and updated June 2007.