[Lithiasis of the gallbladder and biliary ducts: from epidemiology to therapy]

The diagnosis of cholelitiasis, more and more common with the wide diffusion of abdominal ultrasound, is often a surprise for the patient as well as for the physician who is sometimes forced to take a therapeutical decision. In the case of dilatation of the biliary duct, the cholangioRM is assuming an increasingly important role, especially before a therapeutical ERCP. The best therapeutical approach seems to be the surgical ablation in laparoscopy in presence of specific signs and symptoms. Indication to surgical ablation is a symptomatic or complicated cholelithiasis, or the history of obstructive pancreatitis. A preventive cholecystectomy can be useful for precancerous lesions.