A cholecystectomy is the surgical removal of the gallbladder, most often performed to treat painful gallstones (cholelithiasis) and gallbladder inflammation (cholecystitis). Done laparoscopically or robotically through a few small incisions, it is one of the most common and safe operations in the United States — roughly 700,000 are performed each year — and is the definitive, standard-of-care treatment for symptomatic gallstone disease, relieving biliary pain and preventing its complications (Comes et al., JAMA Surgery, 2024; Baron et al., New England Journal of Medicine, 2015).