Does the whole gallbladder have to be removed or can you just take out the gallstones?

In this video, Dr. Fullington addresses the question “Does the whole gallbladder have to be removed or can you just take out the gallstones?”

The most common cause of gallbladder symptoms involves the development of gallstones. The treatment for gallbladder disease related to gallstones is removing the whole gallbladder, usually via laparoscopic surgery with small incisions in the abdomen. When the gallbladder is not functioning properly, it can create stones that cause symptoms including abdominal pain. The gallbladder will continue to make stones so removing the stones present in the gallbladder at one time will not solve the problem.

Dr. Nora Fullington is a surgeon specializing in hernia and gallbladder surgery at Boston Hernia and Boston Gallbladder.