Can you live without a gallbladder?

WebMD states that a person can live a healthy life without a gallbladder. Cholecystectomy is the medical term used for the surgery that removes the gallbladder to treat patients who suffer from gallstones.

Most surgeons attempt to remove the gallbladder by conducting laparoscopic surgery before performing open gallbladder surgery, according to WebMD. A surgeon removes the gallbladder by cutting a single incision in the patient's abdomen. This surgical procedure requires general anesthesia and generally lasts only one to two hours.

WebMD says that once the gallbladder is removed, bile flows from the liver through the patient's common bile duct and directly into the small intestine.