A cholecystectomy is a surgical procedure to remove the gallbladder (cholycyst), generally because gallstones are causing infection or pain in a patient. Removal of the gallbladder is the only effective treatment for gallstones as they will return if they are merely removed.
Cholecystectomy was one of the first surgical procedures developed after the development of anesthetics. Before anesthetics, the surgeon could not enter and work on structures within the abdomen fast enough to prevent the patient dying from shock so, although severe cholecystitis was could be diagnosed, it could not be treated. With anesthetics, the surgeon could open a large incision in the abdomen to reach the gallbladder and safely remove it while repairing or avoiding damage to the liver and common bile duct.
Until the last decade or so, the large incision method was the only way to perform the procedure. However, this usually meant a long recovery time - a week in hospital followed by three more of limited mobility. However, the procedure can now be performed laparoscopically, with four small incisions replacing the large incision. Patients can now be released the day of surgery with a 7-14 day recovery period at home. However, laparoscopic surgery poses a somewhat higher risk of complications and is avoided if the bile duct cannot be located or the patient is in the middle of an attack of gallstones.
In Finding Judas, House ordered that a cholecystectomy be performed on a five-year-old girl suffering from gallstones and obtained a court order to let the father overrule the mother's concerns over the surgery.