Need for restrictive criteria to define symptomatic cholelithiasis to avoid unnecessary cholecystectomies-evidence from the literature review

Abstract

Cholelithiasis contributes significantly to global healthcare burden and is the most prevalent medical abnormality in the pancreatobiliary system. It is estimated that gall stones affect 10-15% of population in United States which constitutes around 25 million people. However, its prevalence varies among different populations (Figure 1). Among American adults, the prevalence of gallstone disease is about 10% while in Western Europe, the prevalence ranges from 5.9 to 21.9%. In Asian countries, prevalence ranges from 3.2 to 15.6%.