Gallensteine

In Germany, 15–20% of individuals develop gallstones, and more than 190,000 cholecystectomies are performed for symptomatic stones annually. Overall, 90% of gallstones are cholesterol stones, which are due to increased hepatic cholesterol secretion and gallbladder hypomotility. Cholesterol hypersecretion is attributed to exogenous risk factors, such as a hypercaloric carbohydrate-rich diet and physical inactivity, as well as to lithogenic genes, such as common gene variants of the hepatic cholesterol transporter ABCG5/G8. Of stone carriers, 1–3% per year develop symptoms (biliary colic), and the rate of complications (cholecystitis, cholangitis, pancreatitis) ranges from 0.1% to 0.3% per year. Today laparoscopic cholecystectomy represents the standard of care for most symptomatic stones with and without complications because it leads to shorter hospital stays and recovery times than open cholecystectomy but has similar complication rates. The recently updated German S3 guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of gallstones recommends preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiography and stone extraction in cases of simultaneous bile duct and gallbladder stones; if the probability of bile duct stones is moderate, endoscopic ultrasound – or magnetic resonance cholangiography – should precede cholecystectomy.