Continuing Coverage: Gallbladder removal is one of the most common operations performed in older adults. Yet, research from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston shows many patients who would benefit most from the surgery don't get it. UTMB’s Dr. Taylor Riall, professor of surgery and lead author of the study, said that even though gallbladder removal is recommended for patients with gallstone problems, "Less than a quarter of patients in this study had their gallbladders removed. We sought to determine whether the decision to have the gallbladder removed was actually based on their risk of having gallstone-related complications in the next two years.”