How big does a gallbladder polyp need to be to require surgery?

When suffering from gallbladder polyps, most people will think that they must focus on surgical treatment. Although surgical treatment is a more common method, it is also important to understand that it depends on the situation. If the diameter of the gallbladder polyp is >10mm, then surgical treatment should be performed to avoid lesions.

1. If gallbladder polyps have obvious symptoms, such as obvious biliary colic, especially accompanied by gallstones and cholecystitis, cholecystectomy is suitable; if accompanied by jaundice, surgical treatment is also performed. If abdominal surgery is performed and common bile duct obstruction is cleared, the gallbladder polyps can be removed at the same time.

2 For patients with gallbladder polyps with a diameter less than 10 mm, multiple lesions, and pedunculated gallbladder polyps, it is suggested that the lesions are likely to be pseudotumor polyps, and laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the first choice. If cholecystitis and gallstones are present, a laparotomy is necessary to remove the gallbladder.

3 If the diameter of the gallbladder polyp is >10mm, it is likely a neoplastic polyp and a routine open cholecystectomy should be performed. Frozen sections are routinely performed during surgery to clarify the pathological category. If it is a cancerous polyp, simple cholecystectomy can be performed when the tumor is limited to the mucosa; once the tumor invades the muscular layer, extended resection is required, including wedge resection of the gallbladder bed liver and lymph node dissection.

Note:

Gallbladder polyps generally have few symptoms and are difficult to detect. They can only be detected through occasional abdominal color ultrasound. Therefore, gallbladder polyps are easily misdiagnosed. Once discovered late, they may become malignant and the opportunity for surgery will be missed. So try to get it checked once a year.