This is a longitudinal observational cohort study that will examine the changes in the composition and diversity of gut microbiome and systemic metabolome in patients with symptomatic gallbladder stones with or without concomitant CBD stones who will be undergoing cholecystectomy with or without prior ERCP-ES and CBD stones extraction. This is a single centre study involving the Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology and the Department of General Surgery at Changi General Hospital, SingHealth, Singapore.~Patients with symptomatic gallstones with or without CBD stones being planned for cholecystectomy will be recruited from both inpatient and outpatient settings. Upon enrolment, baseline clinical characteristics will be recorded, and biospecimens (stool, urine, plasma and saliva) will be collected prior to cholecystectomy for subsequent gut microbiome and systemic metabolome analysis. For patients with concomitant CBD stones who undergo ERCP-ES before cholecystectomy, bile specimens will be collected from the bile duct during ERCP-ES as well as the gallbladder during cholecystectomy, for subsequent bile microbiome analysis. After cholecystectomy, during the scheduled clinic review at 1 to 6 months post-surgery, patients will be reviewed for symptoms of post cholecystectomy syndrome (PCS) or post cholecystectomy diarrhoea (PCD), and biospecimens (stool, urine, plasma and saliva) will again be collected for subsequent gut microbiome and systemic metabolome analysis.
The goal of this longitudinal observational cohort study is to examine the changes in the composition and diversity of gut microbiome and systemic metabolome in patients with symptomatic gallbladder stones with or without concomitant common bile duct (CBD) stones who will be undergoing cholecystectomy with or without prior endoscopic sphincterotomy (ERCP-ES) and CBD stones extraction. The main questions it aims to answer are whether there are:~differences in gut microbiome diversity and composition before and after cholecystectomy~differences in systemic metabolome before and after cholecystectomy~gut microbiome and systemic metabolome changes after cholecystectomy~Participants will be asked to provide stool, urine, plasma and saliva samples prior to and 1-6 months after cholecystectomy. For patients with concomitant CBD stones who undergo ERCP-ES before cholecystectomy, bile specimens will be collected from the bile duct during ERCP-ES as well as the gallbladder and/or during cholecystectomy.