Is surgery needed for my wife’s 8.6 mm gallstone?

Question

Hi doctor,

My wife had a gallbladder stone of 8.66 mm in the gallbladder lumen. It is asymptomatic. We are planning to have a baby, so we need to decide whether we need to do the surgery first and then plan for a baby.

Can you please suggest what to do?

Please help.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I have gone through your query and understand your concern.

The ultrasound shows an 8.6 millimeter gallbladder stone and polycystic ovaries. The rest of the scan is normal. For better guidance, I would like to know:

Does your wife have upper or central abdominal pain?
Have any blood tests, like CBC (complete blood count) or LFTs (liver function test), been done?

If she has no symptoms and blood tests are normal, this is called asymptomatic gallstones. In such cases, surgery is usually not needed unless she develops symptoms or has underlying medical conditions like blood disorders or uncontrolled diabetes.

However, about 15 to 20 percent of asymptomatic patients may develop symptoms later, such as right upper abdominal pain, fever, nausea, or vomiting. If these occur, surgery would be required. Fatty meals and dairy products can worsen symptoms, so it is better to avoid them.

The decision is ultimately yours: to wait and watch or to proceed with surgery. If needed, the standard treatment is laparoscopic cholecystectomy (keyhole surgery). In my opinion, if she has no symptoms now, it is safe to wait and take precautions, but be alert for warning signs.

I hope this clarifies your concern.

Please let me know if you need further assistance.

Thank you.