Gallbladder stones and gallbladder polyps Disease description: Gallbladder stones are mainly seen in adults, more women than men, and the incidence increases significantly after the age of 40, and the stones are mostly cholesterol or cholesterol-based mixed and bile pigment stones; gallbladder polyp-like lesions are a general term for all non-stone lesions in which the wall of the gallbladder grows into the lumen in the form of polyps, mainly including cholesterol polyps, inflammatory polyps, adenomatous polyps adenomyosis, mixed polyps, etc. Cholesterol polyps are the most common ones in clinical practice. Clinical manifestations: Gallbladder stones can be asymptomatic, called “quiet stones”, and when combined with chronic cholecystitis, they can manifest as vague pain in the right upper abdomen after eating, which can be easily confused with stomach diseases. When the stone is embedded in the gallbladder jugular or gallbladder duct, right upper abdominal cramps may appear and radiate to the right shoulder, accompanied by nausea, vomiting and increased gallbladder tension. Gallbladder stones can also drain into the common bile duct to form common bile duct stones, which can cause symptoms of acute cholangitis or even acute pancreatitis. Gallbladder polyps usually have no obvious clinical symptoms Diagnosis: The diagnosis can be confirmed according to the clinical manifestations, combined with imaging means, with ultrasound examination preferred. Ultrasonography is helpful to identify the benign and malignant gallbladder polyps. If necessary, CT and MRI can be combined to differentiate the nature of polyps, and to clarify whether there is a combination of common bile duct stones. Treatment: If the gallbladder stones are asymptomatic and the stones are small, you can choose medical treatment, regular review of ultrasound (usually 6 months), oral cholestatic drugs such as cholining tablets, bile vitamins, bile relief, etc. if necessary. Cholecystectomy can be considered in the following cases: gallbladder filled stones, gallbladder atrophy, gallbladder stones combined with gallbladder polyps, asymptomatic gallbladder stones larger than 2.5 cm, recurrent gallbladder inflammation affecting quality of life, gallbladder stones complicated by biliary pancreatitis and gallbladder wall thickening with non-functional gallbladder. Follow-up is generally recommended for gallbladder polyps less than 10 mm, while those larger than 10 mm or rapidly increasing in size within a short period of time or with obvious symptoms should undergo cholecystectomy.