Do I Really Need Surgery to Remove My Gallbladder?

Many people in the U.S. have gallstones. But most of those people don’t have symptoms, which means they don’t need surgery. But if you have gallstones that cause symptoms, like abdominal pain, it’s likely that you’ll need surgery. A cholecystectomy is the surgical procedure to remove the gallbladder. 

Any surgery brings a risk for side effects and complications. So if you have gallstones, it’s important to know that you don’t always need surgery to remove your gallbladder. Let’s look at gallstones and the signs you need surgery to remove your gallbladder.

What are gallstones?

The gallbladder is a small organ that sits under the liver and stores bile acids. Bile acids are important for digestion because they break down fatty foods. When you eat, the gallbladder releases bile acid into your intestines through the bile duct (a tube that connects the gallbladder to the intestine).

Sometimes gallstones form inside the gallbladder. Gallstones are very common — about 10% to 15% of people in the U.S. have them. Most people don’t know they have gallstones because the stones don’t cause any symptoms. But gallstones can lead to pain and other symptoms in some people.

Why do some people with gallstones have surgery to remove their gallbladder?

You’ll need to have surgery to remove your gallbladder if you have symptoms from your gallstones. Gallstones can block the opening from the gallbladder to the bile duct. When this happens, you experience biliary colic, a specific type of pain that:

• Often starts in the upper right part of the abdomen 

• Sometimes travels to the upper back or right shoulder

• Lasts 15 minutes to several hours 

• Starts soon after eating or in the middle of the night

• May cause nausea or vomiting

While biliary colic is painful, it isn’t dangerous. But it’s a sign you need your gallbladder removed. That’s because people who experience biliary colic are at higher risk for more serious complications of gallstones.

When is it a good idea to get your gallbladder removed?

Medication can’t get rid of gallstones. People with symptoms from gallstones usually need surgery to remove their gallbladder so they don’t develop gallstone complications. 

Experts recommend a cholecystectomy if you have:

• Symptomatic gallstones: Your provider may recommend removing your gallbladder if your gallstones cause symptoms. This is to prevent you from developing more serious problems in the future.

• Inflammation of the gallbladder: Acute cholecystitis, inflammation of the gallbladder, is a serious condition. Treatment nearly always includes cholecystectomy. 

• Inflammation of the pancreas: When gallstones cause pancreatitis, it can lead to other serious health problems. 

• Gallbladder cancer: Gallbladder cancer is a very rare type of cancer. But if you have cancer in the gallbladder or a high risk of developing cancer in the gallbladder, you may benefit from surgery to remove the gallbladder. 

Do you always need your gallbladder removed if you have gallstones?

You don’t necessarily need surgery to remove your gallbladder if you have gallstones. If you don’t have symptoms from your gallstones, the Society of American Gastroenterologic and Endoscopic Surgeons says you shouldn’t have surgery to remove your gallbladder. 

That’s because there’s no evidence that people who have gallstones that don’t cause symptoms actually benefit from gallbladder removal. Since up to 70% of people don’t have any symptoms from their gallstones, that means most people can skip surgery.

What are the benefits of avoiding an unnecessary cholecystectomy?

Cholecystectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures. And it’s very safe. 

But all surgeries come with risks — like anesthesia complications, bleeding, and infection. There is also the risk of injury to the bile duct during cholecystectomy. Bile duct injury is a rare, but serious complication. It needs additional surgeries to repair.

Another benefit to avoiding unnecessary surgery is saving money. The average out-of-pocket cost of cholecystectomy for Medicare patients varies from $597 to $1,148, depending on where you do the surgery. Other factors that affect your out-of-pocket cost include the type of insurance you have and where you live in the U.S. 

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Written by:

Christine Giordano, MD

Christine Giordano, MD, is board-certified in general internal medicine. She received her medical degree from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and completed residency at Thomas Jefferson University.

Edited by:

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH

Patricia Pinto-Garcia, MD, MPH, is a medical editor at GoodRx. She is a licensed, board-certified pediatrician with more than a decade of experience in academic medicine.

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