THE STATUS OF GALLBLADDER SURGERY

There is probably no better way of determining the present status of gallbladder surgery than that afforded by studies of large series of operatively removed specimens. This study of more than 14,000 gallbladders has an unusual value in that it embraces the experience of essentially the same surgeons during a period of twenty years. Necropsy specimens from 1,647 cases are included for comparative studies. During the last thirty years, the surgical treatment of gallbladder disease has varied greatly. Cholecystostomy formerly comprised more than half of the gallbladder operations; today it comprises less than 5 per cent in most of the clinics in America. Cholecystectomy has become the almost routine procedure, yet it is interesting that the indications for cholecystectomy have not changed much during this period. This fact is evident in the literature and is substantiated in this study of 12,499 operatively removed gallbladders. While preparing the Mayo Clinic gallbladder