Cholecystectomy

Cholecystectomy removes the gallbladder, usually laparoscopically. It treats the gallbladder source of recurrent stones and inflammation; it does not remove a stone already lodged in the common bile duct or drain an infected obstructed biliary tree. Acute calculous cholecystitis usually begins when a gallstone or biliary sludge blocks the cystic duct. Trapped bile distends the gallbladder, impairs mucosal blood flow and produces local inflammation. Bacteria may colonize the stagnant contents later, but they usually do not initiate the process. That distinction explains why antibiotics alone do not provide definitive source control: the obstructed organ remains in place. The liver continues to make bile after surgery. Bile flows more continuously into the duodenum rather than being stored and concentrated in the gallbladder. The operation therefore corrects gallbladder disease while requiring separate assessment for common bile duct stones, cholangitis or pancreatitis.