Gallbladder

Main article: Human body

Bile is produced in the liver - the largest gland of our body, from where it is constantly released into the bile ducts, through which it reaches the intestines. If it is empty and there is nothing to digest, then the sphincter is closed at the point of confluence with the intestine and bile returns back, entering the gallbladder. After food enters the 12-ring intestine, the bladder contracts and bile enters the same place where it participates in digestion.

Chronicle

2025: Removal of the gallbladder by a robot surgeon causes more complications compared to conventional laparoscopy. Tested for 845 thousand people

Robotic cholecystectomy (a procedure to remove the gallbladder) causes more postoperative complications compared to traditional laparoscopy. This is stated in a study by specialists from Johns Hopkins University, the results of which were published at the end of May 2025.

The findings are based on an analysis of data on 844,428 patients who underwent cholecystectomy through a robot surgeon or laparoscopy. The average age of these people is 45.6 years. Almost two-thirds of patients - 64.9% - were women (547,665 people). By pseudorandomization, that is, selection by predisposition, one of them formed cohorts of 35,037 patients who received therapy with robotic and laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

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Фото: Freepik

It was found that the frequency of bile duct damage during both types of operations was similar - 0.37% when using a surgeon's robot (128 cases out of 35,037) versus 0.39% when laparoscopy (138 cases out of 35,037). However, robotic cholecystectomy showed a higher incidence of serious postoperative complications (8.37% versus 5.5% in laparoscopy), greater use of postoperative drainage (0.63% versus 0.48%), and a longer median length of hospital stay (three days versus two days).

The authors of the work say that in general, robotic cholecystectomy may not provide clear advantages over the standard established laparoscopic method. Further research is therefore needed to optimize the use of robotic cholecystectomy in acute gallbladder disease. However, the use of robotic surgeons in performing cholecystectomies is on the rise.^[1]

2024: AI service for diagnosis of cholelithiasis on computed tomography of abdominal organs began to work in Moscow

In the capital, for the first time, an artificial intelligence service was launched to detect cholelithiasis on computed tomography. The neural network will automate the detection of gallstones, measure their size and speed up the diagnosis of pathology. This will help increase the chances of successful treatment and recovery of patients. Anastasia Rakova, Deputy Mayor of Moscow for Social Development, spoke about this on November 1, 2024. Read more here.