In recent years, the incidence of cholecystitis has gradually increased and has become one of the most common diseases in life, and its incidence has reached about 7-10%. According to statistics, the incidence of gallbladder stones in the United States increases with age, and its incidence rate is 10.2% for those under 50 years old, 38.6% for those 60-69 years old, and 53.3% for those over 80 years old. The incidence is higher in women than in men. Clinical manifestations of gallbladder stones The symptoms of gallbladder stones depend on the size, location, presence or absence of obstruction and inflammation of the stones. Asymptomatic occult gallbladder stones are not easily diagnosed and may be ignored for life in a significant number of patients with gallbladder stones. The gallbladder has the function of storing bile, concentrating bile and excreting bile. When eating, the gallbladder contracts to drain the stored and concentrated bile into the intestines to help digest food. If there are stones in the gallbladder, when the gallbladder contracts to drain the bile, the stones will obstruct the gallbladder duct, and the patient will experience epigastric distention, swelling and pain, which may cause severe biliary colic, gallbladder enlargement and bile stasis, gallbladder wall edema and thickening, leading to acute cholecystitis, gallbladder pus accumulation, gallbladder wall gangrene and even perforation. Patients may develop fever and peritonitis symptoms, and if not treated effectively in time, can be combined with infectious toxic shock. Some small stones can enter the common bile duct through the cystic duct and cause secondary common bile duct stones. Once the stones obstruct the common bile duct, acute septic obstructive cholecystitis may result. Patients may experience chills and high fever, scleral skin yellowing, abdominal pain and other symptoms. If the obstruction is not lifted by surgery in time, it is easy to develop infectious toxic shock, which is life-threatening. Gallstone disease can also lead to comorbidities such as biliary pancreatitis and cholecystoduodenal fistula. The gallbladder has the function of storing and concentrating bile, which is secreted by the liver and produces about 600-1000 ml of bile every day. 50% of the bile flows directly into the duodenum through the bile duct, and the other 50% of the bile, that is, 300-500 ml of bile, goes into the gallbladder for storage. The gallbladder is equivalent to a reservoir next to the bile duct, and the capacity of this small reservoir is only 40-70 ml, so the bile entering the gallbladder has to be concentrated by the gallbladder. The composition of bile in the gallbladder is 84% water and 16% solid components, mainly cholesterol, bile acids, lecithin, bilirubin, and some electrolytes. The gallbladder concentrates the bile mainly by absorbing the water component of the bile. Cholesterol is a water-susceptible component, and its dissolution in bile depends mainly on bile acids and lecithin to increase its solubility. If the proportion of cholesterol in bile increases, cholesterol crystals or even precipitates can be formed and agglomerated into the core of cholesterol stones. Therefore, the development of gallbladder stones is associated with an unbalanced diet, excessive fat intake, and increased blood cholesterol. In the past 20 years, as the standard of living has been improving, the incidence of gallbladder stones has been increasing, as has the incidence of obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary heart disease, diabetes and other diseases. The gallbladder has the function of discharging bile. Weak contraction of the gallbladder and stagnation of bile in the gallbladder are also factors in the formation of gallbladder stones. Estrogen increases the bile cholesterol content and decreases the bile acid content, while progesterone causes relaxation of the gallbladder smooth muscle, retarded gallbladder movement and bile stasis. Therefore, it can explain the higher incidence of gallbladder stones in women over 40 years old, obese, and with multiple pregnancies. Nowadays, people live a fast-paced life and there are many people who skip breakfast. Since bile is concentrated and stored in the gallbladder for a longer period of time at night, skipping breakfast causes bile not to be emptied in time, which is also one of the factors that induce stones. Gallbladder stones and gallbladder cancer In recent years, the incidence of gallbladder cancer is also increasing. According to current research reports, 70% of gallbladder cancer patients are associated with the presence of gallbladder stones. The longer the duration of gallbladder stones, the higher the incidence of gallbladder cancer. The incidence of gallbladder cancer is 13.7 times higher in patients with gallbladder stones than in those without stones. The occurrence of gallbladder cancer is the result of a combination of gallbladder stones, long-term physical irritation, chronic inflammation of the gallbladder, and carcinogenic substances in the products of infection. Treatment of gallbladder stones Although a variety of non-surgical methods (such as lithotripsy, extracorporeal lithotripsy and herbal lithotripsy) have been explored to treat gallbladder stones, the results are not satisfactory. Currently, the most effective clinical treatment is surgical treatment – cholecystectomy. Ultrasound examination can diagnose gallbladder stones with an accuracy of more than 95% and can observe whether the gallbladder wall is thickened, whether the gallbladder is atrophied or filled with stones and lost its function, so as to facilitate elective surgery and prevent the occurrence of gallbladder cancer. In the past 20 years, laparoscopic cholecystectomy has been widely used, and 95% of cholecystectomies can be completed laparoscopically. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy only requires 3-4 small holes of 5-10 mm to be drilled in the abdomen to complete the operation, which has the minimally invasive effect of small trauma, light pain and fast recovery. Since 1992, our laparoscopic surgery has completed nearly 10,000 cases of laparoscopic cholecystectomy and common bile duct exploration and stone extraction. To prevent the occurrence of gallbladder stones, the diet should follow the principles of light, high vitamin and low fat, three regular meals, strengthen fitness exercise, control weight and cultivate a good and healthy lifestyle.