Gallstones
For gallstones that cause repeated pain or inflammation, removing the gallbladder by keyhole surgery is the standard treatment, and recovery is fast.
Who it is for
Patients with symptomatic gallstones, repeated biliary pain or a history of gallbladder inflammation.
How it is done
The gallbladder is removed through three or four small incisions under general anaesthetic. Most patients go home within a day or two.
Your time in Shanghai
Includes evaluation, surgery and a check before you fly. Your specialist confirms the exact timeline in the evaluation.
What this treatment typically costs.
United States vs China
US: laparoscopic gallbladder removal · China: hospital treatment for acute cholecystitis
For reference only. Figures come from the published sources cited and vary with the hospital, the implant or lens chosen, and your condition. China figures are public-hospital averages; fees in hospital international departments are higher. The two sides are measured differently and show direction, not an exact like-for-like price. Your actual cost is determined by the specialist after reviewing your case.
Sources: US: MDsave's estimated national average price for laparoscopic gallbladder removal, before insurance; pre-arranged self-pay packages on the same site average $10,686 (MDsave, November 2026); China: average total hospital stay cost, hospitals run by China's National Health Commission, 2023 (RMB 19,405) (China Health Statistics Yearbook 2024).
The hospitals we work with for this treatment.
Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University
- Biliary surgery performs more than 2,000 operations a year, 60% of them minimally invasive — Zhongshan Hospital
- General Surgery is a National Clinical Key Specialty, with more than 8,000 major and medium operations a year — Zhongshan Hospital
- International Medical Department; one of Shanghai's 13 designated international medical tourism pilot hospitals — Shanghai Municipal Government
Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
- General Surgery is a National Clinical Key Specialty; the hospital hosts the Shanghai Clinical Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery — SJTU School of Medicine
- International Medical Department with English-language service; one of Shanghai's 13 designated international medical tourism pilot hospitals — Shanghai Municipal Government
How we take you from evaluation to follow-up.
Specialist evaluation
From $350. A senior specialist reviews your medical records and tells you how long you would need to stay in China, when surgery could take place, and an estimate of the cost.
A plan built around you
We turn the specialist's advice into a written plan: which hospital, which doctor, which dates, and what to bring.
Travel planning
We help you plan the whole trip, from your arrival in Shanghai to the day you fly home.
Every appointment, accompanied
A professional medical interpreter is beside you at every important medical conversation, and we provide English translations of your medical records.
Surgery day
We are with you from admission to discharge on the day of your operation, and stay in contact with the ward throughout your recovery.
Specialist follow-up at home
After you return home, we arrange professional follow-up with your specialist, so your recovery stays in the hands of the team that treated you.
Start with a specialist evaluation, from $350.
Send your records. The specialist tells you how long you would stay in Shanghai, when surgery could take place, and what it is likely to cost. Then you decide.