Gallstones are one of the most common problems affecting Americans and are more common the older you get. When gallstones get stuck in the bile ducts, they can cause the gallbladder to back up with bile and become inflamed, often leading to a cholecystectomy, or removal of the organ altogether.
Michael Cripps, MD, visiting associate professor of GI, trauma, and endocrine surgery in the University of Colorado Department of Surgery, developed the Parkland Grading Scale that surgeons use to determine the severity of inflammation of the gallbladder, from ranging from one at the mildest to five at the most severe.
We talked with Cripps about gallstones, gallbladder disease, and gallbladder cancer.