The presence of gallbladder calculations is called cholelithiasis.

It is a very frequent pathology in our environment and in the Mediterranean area.

It is more frequent in women and its approximate incidence is 10 % of the population.

The most frequent clinical presentation is in the form of biliary colic characterized by pain in the upper right of the abdomen that extends behind the back of the shoulder blade (palletilla) and that usually has a relationship with the previous intake of rich food in fat in fat .

Other times, the pain is "in belt" and the patient refers as a bar that squeezes in a circle at the top of the abdomen and under the ribs.

Also the description of heaviness, a feeling of "empacho", inflammation of the abdomen preferably in the afternoon, gases and sometimes, evacuation difficulty can guide such disease and forces to perform diagnostic tests.

In most cases, it yields with medical treatment but forces the realization of abdominal and analytical ultrasound to corroborate the suspicion of the presence of these calculations as well as the liver impact with increased transaminases. With these tests more than 90% of them are diagnosed.In exceptional cases (very small stones, biliary mud, etc.) the magnetic nuclear resonance of the bile ducts (colangiorresonance) is used to confirm the diagnostic suspicion.

Once the existence of calculations has been confirmed, the surgical indication is sitting, the procedure consists in the removal of the gallbladder by laparoscopy; This is a surgery that is performed with general anesthesia and that usually requires a one -day stay in the hospital.

The number of operations that, due to technical or anatomical difficulties, require opening of the abdomen to end the intervention are called reconversion. In our experience it is 3%.

The recovery is rapid and requires temporary dietary control with progressive reentry of all foods although dairy should see their consumption reduced.

Among the most frequent questions that patients ask, those related to the quality of life without gallbladder; This organ is a bile warehouse since it is “manufactured” in the liver which has its own bile ducts to send such bile to the duodenum, where the emulsion of the fats from the food is produced by the food for the food that has no digestive impact.

Another frequent question is what is formulated by patients who accidentally and for another cause has been diagnosed with cholelithiasis and has no symptoms with excellent tolerance to all types of food. The answer is simple, presenting cholelithiasis increases the risk of acute pancreatitis, serious illness that has appreciable mortality and that can lead to a catastrophe with serious impact on the quality of life in a definitive way.

Therefore, except patients with high surgical risk due to concomitant diseases (heart disease, severe emphysema, morbid obesity, immunosuppressed, poorly compensated diabetes, etc.) Surgical indication should always be the answer.