Gallbladder stone disease is a variety of gallbladder pathological changes caused by stones originating in the gallbladder, which is the most common among gallstone diseases and has become a common disease in the country, and its incidence rate varies slightly between different regions, at about 7% to 10%. In Ningbo area, its incidence rate is about 8%. Young people under 20 years old rarely get gallbladder stones, but the incidence rate increases with age, and in elderly patients over 80 years old, the incidence rate of gallbladder stones is up to 20% or more. The clinical process of gallbladder stones roughly goes through four stages: Stage 1: Silent stones – early asymptomatic stage Many friends first find gallbladder stones during the annual physical examination, or for other reasons when performing liver and gallbladder ultrasound, at this time, the stones in the gallbladder and the human body are at peace and coexist peacefully, not bringing discomfort and not yet making discordant “sound”, therefore, it is also jokingly called by foreign clinical experts: “silent stones”. With the increasing popularity of health checkups, the detection rate of “silent stones” is increasing. The duration of this phase varies from individual to individual, with most lasting about a year or more, and some even several years. If the “silent stone” is not dealt with, it will naturally move on to the next stage. Stage 2: Troublesome Stones – Initial Symptoms Stage As time goes by, the “silent stones” that live peacefully with the human body, if left untreated, will eventually make a discordant “sound” in the human body. It is a dull pain in the upper abdomen, which first appears after eating or eating fatty food, accompanied by nausea or vomiting, and sometimes accompanied by a sensation or pain in the back of the right shoulder, which is medically called “involvement pain” in the back of the shoulder. This dull pain in the upper abdomen or right upper abdomen is more and more severe and frequent, which seriously affects normal work and life. Some of them may even have severe colic, which can only be relieved by appropriate treatment in the hospital; some of them may also cause severe acute pancreatitis, which requires long hospitalization. However, in some cases, the first symptom is severe pain in the upper abdomen, which is caused by the gallbladder stones that were originally safe and sound and got stuck in the cystic duct or common bile duct in the process of lowering the gallbladder. Surgery is imperative, but there are many friends who miss the best time for surgery for various reasons, and the stones continue to increase in size, repeated stones and inflammatory stimulation make the gallbladder smaller, and the disease process enters the next stage. The third stage: the stone filled gallbladder – gallbladder atrophy stage If the above “troublesome stones” are not treated in time, the inflammation of the gallbladder will continue to aggravate, and the continuous stimulation of inflammation will eventually lead to the atrophy and shrinkage of the gallbladder and partial or complete loss of function. At this time, the volume of the gallbladder is less than one third of the original volume, but the wall of the gallbladder is thickened to several times of the original volume, and the stones are tightly wrapped in the cavity of the atrophied gallbladder. In a way, the “troublesome stone” becomes a relatively “silent stone” again. In a way, this can be seen as a self-protection of the human body in a helpless situation, a kind of expedient measure of last resort, so this is only an illusion, stones bring hidden problems but increasing and escalating, the moment of madness is approaching. Stage 4: Crazy Stones – Causing Serious Complications The atrophied gallbladder will eventually be worn through by stones: stones are not inherent in the body after all, and will not be dissipated by the body, although the gallbladder is firmly imprisoned for a certain period of time through the atrophy process, it has to find its own way out. The stone that wears through the gallbladder continues to play its spirit of “water dripping through the stone”, all the way to the top, and can further wear through the duodenum, jejunum or colon that has long been closely attached to the wall of the gallbladder, forming an unnatural channel between the gallbladder and these intestinal tubes, medically called “internal fistula “This poses many difficulties for the surgical treatment of gallbladder stones. The irritation of stones day after day can also have disastrous consequences – leading to cancer of the gallbladder, i.e. causing gallbladder cancer. Nearly 90% of gallbladder cancers are caused by gallbladder stones. Gallbladder cancer is highly malignant and poorly treated, with most patients dying within two years of the onset of the disease.