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Most patients with gallstones never develop complications (e.g., cholecystitis, cholangitis, pancreatitis), but some develop intermittent biliary colic in the absence of complications. Selecting these patients for surgery is challenging: Because biliary colic symptoms overlap with other gastrointestinal symptoms, some patients have disappointing results from cholecystectomy. In this study, Dutch researchers identified predictors of improved pain after cholecystectomy, using prospectively collected data on 1561 adults who were referred to surgery clinics with ultrasonically confirmed gallstones, abdominal pain, no major comorbidities, and no history of complicated gallstone disease. About 70% underwent cholecystectomy.
After surgery, 57% of p…