Dilation of the bile ducts occurs after gallbladder removal and is a normal physiological change.
The function of the gallbladder is to store bile and concentrate it, which is excreted to help digest food. After removal, the bile ducts will develop a compensatory dilation to replace the function of the original gallbladder. However, this dilatation does not usually exceed 1cm, and if it exceeds 1cm, there may be an inflammatory or stone factor; if the gallbladder duct is left too long during the operation, the phenomenon of a small gallbladder” may even occur, which in turn may show pathological symptoms such as pain and fever. For this reason, the length of the remaining cystic duct during cholecystectomy is usually recommended to be 0.3 to 0.5 cm.”