Gall bladder surgeons in the UK

The gallbladder (or cholecyst sometimes gall bladder) is a pear-shaped organ that stores about 50 mL of bile (or "gall") until the body needs it for digestion.  Bile is released when food containing fat enters the digestive tract.  The bile emulsifies fats and neutralizes acids in partly digested food. After being stored in the gallbladder, the bile becomes more concentrated than when it left the liver, increasing its potency and intensifying its effect on fats.

Gall bladder surgeons treat conditions such as

• Cholestasis - the blockage in the supply of bile into the digestive tract.

• Biliary colic  - when a gallstone blocks either the common bile duct or the duct leading into it from the gallbladder.
• Cholelithiasis (gallstones) - up to 25% of all people have gallstones which is made up of cholesterol, lecithin and bile acids. 
• Acute or chronic inflammation of the gall bladder (cholecystitis), 90% of which are caused by the presence of gallstones.
• Choledocholithiasis - when gallstones obstruct the common bile duct
• Gallstone ileus  - bowel obstruction by a large gallstone
• Cancer of the gallbladder - a rare but highly fatal disease

Gall bladder surgeons are general surgeons who have had further training in the diagnosis and treatment of benign and malignant diseases associated with the gall bladder.

There are two professional bodies in the UK which represent general surgeons:

• Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland
• The Royal College of Surgeons

You can view the profile of one of our featured consultants below, or you can use our online database of 2,500 private consultants to search for a private gall bladder surgeon.

Featured gall bladder surgeons