Gallstones are treated only if you have symptoms. Removing the gallbladder (cholecystectomy) is the best way to remove the gallstones. Although there are medications available to dissolve the stones, they are not very effective. Sometimes, you may need a procedure called ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography) where a thin tube with the video camera is passed through the mouth to access the bile duct to remove the stones if they’re blocking the bile duct.