A small sac which is attached to the undersurface of the liver, that holds bile is the gall bladder.The liver produce a digestive juice called bile and it is used to break down dietary fats. The water is extracted by the gall bladder from its store of bile until the liquid becomes highly concentrated. The gall bladder squeezes its bile concentrate into a small intestine when are consumed fatty foods.

About 15 percent of people aged 50 years and over are affected by gallstones which are a disorder of the digestive system. Gallstones are formed by the crystallisation of excess cholesterol in bile and the failure of the gall bladder to completely empty. The person can live without gall bladder because it is not a vital organ. If gallstones are causing problems is recommended cholecystectomy, or surgical removal of the gall bladder.

Into the small intestine by slender ducts from the gall bladder is collected bile. If these ducts are blocked by the gallstones can appear pains and serious complications like nausea and vomiting, infection of the gall bladder (cholecystitis), jaundice since bile enters the bloodstream instead of the digestive system, inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), infections of the liver, cancer of the gall bladder which occurs rarely.

Patients need to speak with the doctor or surgeon, before the operation about the pre-existing conditions which may influence decisions on surgery and anaesthetic, the medications taken on a normal basis and the bad reactions or side effects from any drugs. There are two ways to remove the gall bladder one named laparoscopic cholecystectomy or "keyhole" surgery and the other is open surgery called laparotomy.

In the case of laparoscopic cholecystectomy are made some small abdominal incisions which permite the access of a slender instruments to the abdominal cavity. In the body is introduced a tube which blows a gentle stream of carbon dioxide gas. So the abdominal wall is separated from the underlying organs. With a tiny TV camera attached to the laparoscope the surgeon can see on a TV monitor the gall bladder. Gallstones during the operation with x-rays can be checked and wedged within the bile ducts. The ducts and artery are clipped shut and these clips are permanent. With a laser or electrocautery the gall bladder is cut free. Through one of the abdominal incisions the gall bladder is pulled out of the body. After that from the abdominal cavity are removed the instruments and the carbon dioxide gas. And finally the incisions are sutured and covered with dressings.

Open surgery is the same as laparoscopic surgery, except the gall bladder has in large and presents a single incision in the abdominal wall. Sometimes a laparoscopic cholecystectomy turns into open surgery if the surgeon encounters unexpected difficulties such as not being able to clearly see the gall bladder. Symptoms like mild pain in the shoulder from the carbon dioxide gas may appear after the operation. The patient may be advised to take pain killing drugs even cough regularly is needed. It may be possible also an overnight stay in hospital when the patient has choosen the laparoscopic cholecystectomy. In case of an open surgery may be a hospital stay of up to eight days will be necessary. Some risks may appear after the operation. The complications may include: internal bleeding, infection, injury to nearby digestive organs, injury to the bile duct, leakage of bile into the abdominal cavity, injury to blood vessels.

The patient can take care of himself. In this case here are some suggestions like: rest from 3 to 5 days, avoiding heavy lifting and physical exertion under advice from the doctor, the settle down after surgery. Problems that may appear: bloating, abdominal pains and changes to toileting habits. To make sure all is well the patient need to see the doctor.A form of treatment for gallstones appears when the gallstones are broken down by sound waves. Medications are also used, but the success rate is variable and side effects are common and treatment is expensive.

There are some facts that the patient should not forget, for example: the gall bladder is a small sac that holds bile, which is used to break down dietary fats, gall stones are common disorder of the digestive system which affect around 15 per cent of people aged 50 years and over, the surgical removal of the gall bladder is recommended if gallstones are causing problems.

There are many side effects of gallstone but there are also many possibilities to prevent its apparition.