Gallstone disease is very common with an estimated prevalence of 10-15% in the adult Western population. Approximately 90% of gallstone carriers are asymptomatic. The annual risk of biliary colic in asymptomatic gallstone carriers has been suggested to be approximately 1%. Also, asymptomatic gallstone carriers are at risk for acute pancreatitis, choledocholithiasis and acute cholecystitis. Although accurate prospective data are lacking, annual incidences of these potentially lethal complications are estimated to be approximately 0.2%, 0.2% and 0.3%, respectively.