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If you don't have any symptoms, active monitoring is often recommended. This means you won't receive immediate treatment, but you should let your GP know if you notice any symptoms.





If the pain is mild and infrequent, you may be prescribed painkillers to control further episodes and be given advice about eating a healthy diet to help control the pain.

If your symptoms are more severe and frequent, surgery to remove the gallbladder is usually recommended.

The gallbladder isn't an essential organ and you can lead a normal life without one.

Some people may experience symptoms of bloating and diarrhoea after eating fatty or spicy food. If certain foods trigger symptoms, you may wish to avoid them in the future.

Keyhole surgery to remove the gallbladder


During a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, 3 or 4 small cuts are made in your abdomen.

One larger cut (about 2 to 3cm) is made by the belly button and the others (each 1cm or less) will be on the right side of your abdomen.


laparoscope (a long, thin telescope with a tiny light and video camera at the end) is inserted through one of the cuts in your abdomen.

This allows your surgeon to view the operation on a video monitor. They'll remove your gallbladder using special surgical instruments.


If gallstones are found, they may be removed during keyhole surgery. If the operation can't be done this way, or an unexpected complication occurs, it may have to be converted to open surgery.


Laparoscopic cholecystectomies are usually carried out under a general anaesthetic, which means you'll be unconscious during the procedure and won't feel any pain while it's carried out.

The operation takes 60 to 90 minutes and you can usually go home the same day.

Full recovery typically takes around 10 days.

Single-incision keyhole surgery


During this type of surgery, only 1 small cut is made, which means you'll only have a single scar.

But as this type of cholecystectomy hasn't been carried out as often as conventional cholecystectomies, there are still some uncertainties about it.

Access to single-incision laparoscopic cholecystectomies is also limited because it needs an experienced surgeon with specialist training.


Open surgery

A laparoscopic cholecystectomy may not be recommended if you:

  • are in the third trimester (the last 3 months) of pregnancy
  • are extremely overweight

In these circumstances, an open cholecystectomy may be recommended.

A 10 to 15cm (4 to 6in) incision is made in the abdomen, underneath the ribs, so the gallbladder can be removed.

General anaesthetic is used, so you'll be unconscious and won't feel any pain.


Most people have to stay in hospital for up to 5 days. It typically takes 6 weeks to fully recover.

Read more about recovering from gallbladder surgery.

Endoscopic retrograde cholangio-pancreatography (ERCP)


The gallbladder isn't removed during this procedure, so any stones in the gallbladder will remain unless they're removed using other surgical techniques.

ERCP is similar to a diagnostic cholangiography (see diagnosing gallstones for more information), where an endoscope (a long, thin flexible tube with a camera at the end) is passed through your mouth down to where the bile duct opens into the small intestine.

But during ERCP, the opening of the bile duct is widened with a small cut or an electrically heated wire.



ERCP is usually carried out under sedation, which means you'll be conscious throughout the procedure but won't experience any pain.


Afterwards, you may need to stay in hospital overnight so you can be monitored.

Medication to dissolve gallstones


But these aren't prescribed very often because:

  • they're rarely very effective
  • they need to be taken for a long time (up to 2 years)
  • gallstones can recur once treatment is stopped


Ursodeoxycholic acid isn't usually recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Sexually active women should either use a barrier method of contraception, such as a condom, or a low-dose oestrogen contraceptive pill while taking ursodeoxycholic acid, as it may affect other types of oral contraceptive pills.

Ursodeoxycholic acid tablets may occasionally be used to prevent gallstones if it's thought you're at risk of developing them.

For example, ursodeoxycholic acid may be prescribed if you have recently had weight loss surgery, as rapid weight loss can cause gallstones to grow.

Diet and gallstones

In the past, people with gallstones who weren't suitable for surgery were sometimes advised to adopt a very low-fat diet to stop the gallstones growing.

But recent evidence suggests this isn't helpful because rapid weight loss resulting from a very low-fat diet can actually cause gallstones to grow.

This means that if surgery isn't recommended or you want to avoid having an operation, it's advisable to adopt a healthy, balanced diet based on the Eatwell Guide.

This involves eating a variety of foods, including moderate amounts of fat, and having regular meals.


Read more about healthy eating.