Patient-Friendly Explanation

After weight loss surgery, weight comes off quickly, and that rapid change makes the gallbladder more likely to form stones. If stones cause pain in the upper right abdomen, nausea or yellowing of the eyes, the gallbladder may need to be removed. The operation is usually performed by keyhole surgery and most patients go home within a day or two.

Clinical Definition

Gallstones form in 10 to 25 per cent of patients within the first 12 to 24 months after bariatric surgery, reflecting rapid cholesterol saturation of bile, gallbladder hypomotility and altered enterohepatic circulation, with the highest risk after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and during very low calorie weight loss. Symptomatic disease and complications such as cholecystitis or bile duct stones are managed with laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and ursodeoxycholic acid prophylaxis reduces but does not eliminate risk. After Roux-en-Y bypass, access to the bile duct requires laparoscopic-assisted transgastric ERCP or balloon enteroscopy where available.

Why It Matters

Recognising the warning signs, persistent right upper abdominal pain, nausea, fever or yellowing of the eyes, means gallstones are treated before they become an emergency. We review biliary symptoms at every post-surgical follow-up.