Digital modeling of the gallbladder for revealing microanatomical features and optimizing surgical approaches in gallbladder-preserving cholelithotomy

With the advancement of minimally invasive techniques and the reevaluation of surgical indications, gallbladder-preserving cholecystolithotomy is anticipated to serve as an alternative to cholecystectomy in specific cases. The choice of surgical incision is critical for optimizing gallbladder function preservation, which is a pivotal factor influencing the prognosis of gallbladder-preserving cholecystolithotomy. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of the distribution of microstructures, including gallbladder blood vessels and nerves, is of substantial significance. For this study, we selected the gallbladders of healthy four-year-old children as our subjects. Gallbladder specimens were dehydrated, paraffin-embedded, and serially sectioned into hundreds of 4-μm-thick slices. Sections were selectively stained with distinct protocols-hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and anti-tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemical staining-followed by sequential numbering. Digitized sections were reconstructed into three-dimensional models (3D) using computational software. The resultant 3D gallbladder models achieved a resolution threshold of