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Treatment overview
The goal of treatment for gallstones is to relieve painful symptoms and prevent serious complications. If gallstones are not causing troublesome symptoms, there is no reason to treat them.
Surgery to remove the gallbladder is the most common way to treat symptomatic gallstones and is generally the treatment of choice when a person is troubled by frequent "attacks." The surgery is called a "cholecystectomy," and about 500,000 Americans undergo the operation each year. In the past, this was major surgery, and so-called open cholecystectomies are still sometimes performed. But minimally invasive laparoscopic techniques have revolutionized treatment for gallstones. A laparoscopic cholecystectomy involves a few small incisions, less pain, usually only a daytime or one overnight hospital stay, and a few days of missed work.
Nonsurgical treatment methods are used for symptomatic gallstone disease when a patient is at too high a risk of surgery because of pregnancy, age, chronic illness, or other factors. Additionally, nonsurgical treatment is the best option when gallstones are trapped in the bile ducts. There are several types of nonsurgical therapies that involve either removing or attempting to dissolve or break up the gallstones. In general, nonsurgical approaches do not permanently eliminate gallstones or attacks.
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