The results of the economic evaluation suggest that , on average , the surgery strategy costs £ 1236 more per patient than the conservative management strategy but was , on average , more effective .
An increase in the number of people requiring surgery while treated conservatively corresponded to a reduction in the cost-effectiveness of the conservative strategy .
The results of this assessment indicate that cholecystectomy is still the treatment of choice for many symptomatic people .
However , approximately half of the people in the observation group did not require surgery or suffer complications in the long term indicating that a conservative therapeutic approach may represent a valid alternative to surgery in this group of people .
BACKGROUND Approximately 10 - 15 % of the adult population suffer from gallstone disease , cholelithiasis , with more women than men being affected .
Cholecystectomy is the treatment of choice for people who present with biliary pain or acute cholecystitis and evidence of gallstones .
However , some people do not experience a recurrence after an initial episode of biliary pain or cholecystitis .
As most of the current research focuses on the surgical management of the disease , less attention has been dedicated to the consequences of conservative management .
OBJECTIVES To determine the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of  cholecystectomy  compared with observation/conservative management in people presenting with uncomplicated symptomatic gallstones ( biliary pain ) or cholecystitis .
Improvement in gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life after cholecystectomy.
BACKGROUND Laparoscopic cholecystectomy ( LC ) is the accepted treatment for symptomatic cholelithiasis but has been criticized as an overused procedure . This study assesses the effectiveness of LC on reduction in gastrointestinal ( GI ) symptoms and the impact on quality of life ( QOL ) . METHODS A prospect i ve cohort of subjects evaluated for gallstone disease between August 2001 and July 2004 completed preoperative and postoperative GI gallbladder symptom surveys ( GISS )  and  SF36 QOL surveys . The GISS was developed to quantify the magnitude , severity , and distressfulness of 16 GI symptoms . Surveys were scored and evaluated using paired t tests . RESULTS Fifty-five subjects were included in the final analysis . The GISS revealed significant improvement in biliary type symptoms but not reflux or irritable bowel symptoms after LC ( P > .05 ) . Significant improvement was seen in QOL ( P < .01 ) . CONCLUSION This study supports the utility of LC by showing not only a significant reduction of GI symptoms but also marked improvement in patients ' general QOL
The results of the economic evaluation suggest that , on average , the surgery strategy costs £ 1236 more per patient than the conservative management strategy but was , on average , more effective .
An increase in the number of people requiring surgery while treated conservatively corresponded to a reduction in the cost-effectiveness of the conservative strategy .
The results of this assessment indicate that cholecystectomy is still the treatment of choice for many symptomatic people .
However , approximately half of the people in the observation group did not require surgery or suffer complications in the long term indicating that a conservative therapeutic approach may represent a valid alternative to surgery in this group of people .
BACKGROUND Approximately 10 - 15 % of the adult population suffer from gallstone disease , cholelithiasis , with more women than men being affected .
Cholecystectomy is the treatment of choice for people who present with biliary pain or acute cholecystitis and evidence of gallstones .
However , some people do not experience a recurrence after an initial episode of biliary pain or cholecystitis .
As most of the current research focuses on the surgical management of the disease , less attention has been dedicated to the consequences of conservative management .
OBJECTIVES To determine the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of  cholecystectomy  compared with observation/conservative management in people presenting with uncomplicated symptomatic gallstones ( biliary pain ) or cholecystitis .