Myth 1: The gallbladder is an important organ that secretes bile, without it, can you still eat meat? Bile is not secreted by the gallbladder, but by the liver. The main role of the gallbladder is to store and concentrate the bile secreted by the liver, and when eating, the gallbladder will reflexively discharge the bile in it into the intestine to participate in the digestion and absorption of food. As can be seen, the gallbladder is only a part of the bile collection and dispersal place, similar to a reservoir. After removal of the gallbladder, bile flows slowly into the duodenum directly through the common bile duct. Due to the lack of bile draining into the bile duct centrally after meals, there is a certain impact on high-fat and high-protein diet in the immediate postoperative period, which is more or less significant for those who eat large amounts of food at each meal (such as young adults and manual workers). After three months, there will be a slight dilatation of the bile ducts, which is equivalent to a compensatory effect on the storage function of the gallbladder, and the effect on the digestive function becomes seemingly negligible. Myth 2: Gallbladder stones are a minor problem, and even if left untreated, they will not cause much of a problem. This misconception has caused many patients to “wait for the treatment of stones” or “not to treat stones” and to suffer various “losses”. If smaller stones in the gallbladder escape from the cystic duct and enter the common bile duct, secondary bile duct stones can form and complications such as bile duct obstruction, jaundice, acute cholangitis and acute pancreatitis can occur. When acute cholecystitis evolves into gallbladder suppuration and perforation, and common bile duct stones further complicate severe cholangitis and severe pancreatitis, the condition becomes serious, and if not treated in time, death may occur. If the gallbladder stones are longer and the patient is older, the chance of gallbladder cancer increases significantly. As we can see, gallbladder stones are never a minor problem and should be treated actively once diagnosed! Myth 3: Gallbladder stones without symptoms do not need to be treated, wait until they have symptoms. More than 1/3 of gallbladder stones are diagnosed without symptoms, called “asymptomatic” gallbladder stones. A significant proportion of gallbladder stones only manifest as postprandial discomfort in the stomach area and are treated as “stomach problems” for a long time. Theoretically, the so-called “asymptomatic” is only relative and temporary. With the development of gallbladder lesions and the gradual decrease of body resistance, gallbladder stones will eventually become symptomatic, so patients should not leave them alone because they are temporarily asymptomatic, and lose the best time for treatment. Treating gallbladder stones when they are asymptomatic is better than mending the fold after death! Myth 4: Small gallbladder stones do not need to be treated, wait until they grow up. This is a very wrong view. From a professional point of view, the larger the gallbladder stone, the fewer the symptoms, because stones with a diameter of more than 1 cm are not easily stuck in the gallbladder duct, much less fall into the common bile duct, and complications such as acute cholecystitis and common bile duct stones rarely occur. Those who have various complications are mostly stones with a diameter of 5 mm or less. Therefore, small gallbladder stones have more symptoms and are dangerous and should be treated as early as possible! Myth 5: A single gallbladder stone does not need to be treated, wait for more to grow. Although the symptoms of gallbladder stones are more common and heavier than those of single gallbladder stones, which are more likely to cause various complications and are more dangerous, and should be treated more actively, this does not mean that single gallbladder stones do not need treatment. Single stones can also cause various complications and should also be treated actively. Myth 6: Gallbladder stones are not treated in elderly patients. The treatment of elderly patients with gallbladder stones is a more complex clinical problem. On the one hand, elderly people have lower body resistance, and elderly gallbladder stones, which are more prone to complications such as acute cholecystitis and cancer, should be treated more actively than young and middle-aged gallbladder stone patients. On the other hand, elderly patients are often associated with chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disorders, chronic lung damage, and diabetes mellitus, which make surgery riskier and surgical decisions should be made more carefully. The need for surgical treatment in elderly patients with gallbladder stones should be based on a combination of factors, and should never be based on age alone. If the patient is in poor physical condition and the symptoms of gallbladder stones are not obvious, surgery can be suspended. If the symptoms are more frequent and the attacks are more frequent and affect the quality of life, even if the patient is older, as long as the major organs of the body do not have serious dysfunction, the patient should be actively treated with surgery under the premise of ensuring the physical condition is tolerable. Myth 7: Can gallbladder stones be treated by lithotripsy? Lithotripsy treatment Both of them are not enough. Some drugs that can dissolve gallbladder stones can cause great damage to liver and kidney function, and the lithotripsy treatment is not worth the loss. Myth 8: Can gallbladder stones be treated by lithotripsy? If lithotripsy is still somewhat reliable, lithotripsy is almost like adding chaos. The most fearful thing about gallbladder stones is lithotripsy. Drainage of gallbladder stones from the gallbladder to the common bile duct means complication of the condition, and a small disease becomes a big disease, and various complications will follow. Myth 9: Can gallbladder stones be removed by “bailout”? Among the causes of gallbladder stones, changes in the structure or function of the gallbladder itself is a factor that cannot be ignored, and is even the most important factor in the occurrence and development of stones. In theory, “gallbladder stone preservation” is only a superficial treatment, and it is not advisable because of the high possibility of recurrence of stones in the future. Myth 10: Is laparoscopic cholecystectomy a minor surgery? Laparoscopic cholecystectomy basically does not damage the blood vessels, nerves and muscles of the abdominal wall, and the scar is very small after healing, which does not affect the appearance and rarely causes complications such as intestinal adhesion, intestinal obstruction and incision infection after surgery. Moreover, the postoperative pain is light, the hospital stay is short and the body recovers quickly. This procedure has become almost the only choice for the surgical treatment of gallbladder stones. A laparoscopic cholecystectomy usually takes only about 20 minutes to complete, and in terms of time, it is indeed not considered a major surgery. However, it is a very deep surgery, and the surgeon needs to have solid basic skills in hepatobiliary surgery and proficiency in laparoscopic techniques, and the slightest mistake will result in serious complications that are difficult to remedy. Therefore, we say that laparoscopic cholecystectomy is a “small surgery” that requires “great knowledge”!