If you're having gallbladder symptoms caused by gallstones or other conditions, your doctor may recommend a surgical procedure as part of your treatment.

But there's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all gallbladder surgery.

Here are some gallbladder surgery options that your doctor might discuss with you.


This is the medical term for a surgery to completely remove the gallbladder.

Remarkably, your body doesn't need a gallbladder to digest food.

In the United States, cholecystectomy is a very common operation.

If possible, most surgeons will opt for the laparoscopic form of this gallbladder surgery, in which the gallbladder is removed through a small incision in the abdomen.

"It's a 'Band-Aid' surgery, and the recovery is much easier," says Harold Berenzweig, MD, a gastroenterologist at Texas Health Harris Methodist in Fort Worth, Texas.

Some patients can go home the same day, Berenzweig adds. Others may spend one night in the hospital.

However, if the surgeon cannot reach your gallbladder laparoscopically, or other complications occur, your surgeon may opt for an open cholecystectomy, which involves making an incision on the upper right side of your abdomen to remove the gallbladder.

This type of gallbladder surgery is necessary in about 5 percent of cases.

In laparoscopic surgery, four tiny incisions are made in the abdominal wall, just big enough for the surgeon's laparoscope and small instruments (the gallbladder is also pulled out through one of these incisions).

In an open cholecystectomy, a large (six inches across) incision is made in the right upper quadrant of the abdomen.

This larger incision cuts through muscles, which results in more pain and discomfort.

Healing time is usually longer for the open cholecystectomy because of the larger incision made.

Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)

This procedure, generally called ERCP, is used when one or more gallstones have migrated out of the gallbladder and into the common bile duct, which carries bile to the small intestine to aid in digestion.

During ERCP, an endoscope — a long tube with a camera in it — is guided down your throat into the stomach and then into the common bile duct.

If gallstones are present, an instrument can be inserted into the endoscope to remove them.

Patients are generally awake during an ERCP, but are given a sedative to help them relax.

ERCP is usually performed in conjunction with gallbladder removal.

"You can't take out the stones and leave the gallbladder, because you're going to form more stones," Berenzweig says.

Gallbladder Draining (Cholecystostomy)

During this minimally invasive procedure, also known as a cholecystostomy, the doctor will insert a needle through the abdomen to drain the gallbladder of bile and decompress it.

This is usually performed on patients with severe gallbladder problems as well as other medical conditions who might not be able to withstand surgery to remove the gallbladder.

With cholecystostomy, "you're still left with a gallbladder full of gallstones," Berenzweig says. "It's not done very commonly at all anymore."

After a cholecystostomy, some patients improve and are later able to have their gallbladders removed.

A Non-Surgical Option

The gallbladder can also be treated with non-surgical techniques like lithotripsy, which uses high-energy sound waves to break gallstones into tiny pieces so they can drain out of the gallbladder.

Although it is most commonly used to treat kidney stones, it can also be used on gallstones.

However, it's unlikely that your surgeon will recommend lithotripsy for gallstones.

"I don't know of anyone who's had that done lately," Berenzweig says.