Will untreated asymptomatic gallstones cause future issues?

Question

Hi doctor,

I am 35 years old with a weight of 101 lbs. I have a gallbladder stone of 18 mm and my common bile duct is 3 mm. This stone was 12 mm before seven years and it has grown up now. I do not have any severe pain and I have a positive murphy sign. My ultrasound shows on and off mild wall thickening. I am terrified of my surgery.

Will I have to remove my gall bladder in the future if I am not undergoing surgery now? I have a history of PVCs and SVT. I am not taking any medication for now but I am taking Omeprazole 20 mg for the discomfort present in my tummy. I have planned to remove my gallbladder in two weeks. But I can eat everything and I do not have pain. Do you think whether it is good to undergo surgery without having a major attack? I think that my stone has taken a lot of space in my gallbladder. Do I need to remove it? Will it cause issues in the future if I leave it now?

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern. Stones presenting in the gall bladder causes pain. It is of moderate to severe intensity and it starts after taking meals. It remains for one to six hours and tends to recur again. The pain is located on the right subcoastal margin. When there is chronic cholecystitis with thickened walls, the gall bladder shrinks causing pain. In some conditions, gall bladder stone presents with polyps. You can also have asymptomatic gall stones with a stone size of more than two centimeters. In your case, you have evidence of chronic cholecystitis with a stone size of more than two centimeters. You should undergo surgery now. You have a risk of developing gall bladder cancer as the stone size is more than two centimeters. Cholecystitis also increases the risk of gall bladder cancer. This is the main reason to undergo surgery now.