Can I just have gallstones removed but keep my gallbladder?

In a situation where a gallstone has passed from your gallbladder down the bile duct (causing jaundice or pancreatitis) then an ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography) can be performed which is done by an endoscope passed through the mouth under anaesthetic. This can remove the stone in the bile duct but it does not deal with stones that remain in the gallbladder. For stones in the gallbladder itself, it is not standard to undertake surgery to open the gallbladder and just remove the stone/s. Invariably more stones are present which are not identified or recur later. Leakage can also occur from an opened gallbladder. Occasionally, where a nasty infection has caused a dense area of scar tissue on the gallbladder, it may be safest to remove the majority of the gallbladder and aim to remove all stones (to avoid complications of injuring the bile duct due to the scar tissue). This again, however is not the preferred approach but is only done if absolutely necessary.