Negative workup? Laparoscopic cholecystectomy Still alleviates symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that patients with abdominal pain and biliary dyskinesia (low ejection fraction <35 â€‹%) have significant improvement of symptoms following laparoscopic cholecystectomy, but there is lack of evidence that demonstrates whether patients with biliary symptoms and a normal ejection fraction (>35 â€‹%) will have similar results. METHODS: Retrospective, single center study of patients with biliary pain and negative workup, including HIDA with EF>35 â€‹%, who were treated with laparoscopic cholecystectomy from 2017 to 2022. RESULTS: There were 117 total patients. The mean age was 45.49 â€‹± â€‹15.5 years and 101 (86 â€‹%) were female. 101 (86 â€‹%) of patients underwent a right upper quadrant ultrasound, 91 had normal findings, 9 difficult to visualize anatomy and 1 had adenomyomatosis. All patients had a normal HIDA scan and ejection fraction 104 (89 â€‹%) of patients followed up in clinic within 30 days of surgical intervention. 87 (84 â€‹%) reported resolution of pre-operative symptomatology after surgical intervention. There was no statistically significant correlation between pain with CCK administration during HIDA (p â€‹= â€‹0.803) scan or ejection fraction (p â€‹= â€‹0.0977) with resolution of symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy appears to be a beneficial intervention for patients with abdominal pain and normokinetic biliary disease. Offering surgical intervention early on can potentially save patients from exhaustive diagnostic investigations and possibly misdiagnosis.

Gallbladder Dyskinesia.

Gallbladder dyskinesia is a functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract, which can result in debilitating episodes of abdominal pain and associated symptoms. Key diagnostic criteria include a diminished gallbladder ejection fraction on scintigraphy and absence of other causes for the symptoms. Pathologic findings and follow-up suggest a distinct mechanistic basis for this condition. Unfortunately, the complexities of diagnosis and treatment combined with patient and provider preferences will likely continue to preclude randomized controlled studies to provide a clearer evidence-based management for this disorder. Patients meeting the clinical and diagnostic criteria for gallbladder dyskinesia should be referred for cholecystectomy, and most of these patients will have relief of their symptoms. A comprehensive preoperative discussion on expected outcomes needs to take place.

Outcomes After Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in Hyperkinetic Biliary Dyskinesia.

BACKGROUND: Biliary dyskinesia (BD) is a poorly understood functional gallbladder disorder. Diagnosis is made with abdominal pain and an intact gallbladder without signs of anatomical obstruction on imaging or pathology. Our aim was to assess whether laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) resolves hyperkinetic BD symptoms. METHODS: Records of patients ≥18 years of age, who underwent LC by four surgeons at a tertiary care center between 2012 and 2020, were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were excluded if they had a documented gallbladder ejection fraction (GBEF) <80% or had biliary stones or sludge on pathology or imaging. Demographic information, HIDA results, preoperative testing, operative details, gallbladder pathology, and symptom status at follow-up were collected from electronic medical records. Improvement in BD symptoms was assessed using McNemar's test. Risk differences with standard errors were employed to estimate percent reduction in symptoms. RESULTS: Ninety-eight patients met inclusion criteria. Of those who presented for follow-up (n = 91), 92.3% (n = 84) reported partial or complete resolution of symptoms. Preoperative symptoms, including back pain (16.7%, 95% CI: [7.9%, 25.5%]; P < .0001), epigastric pain (31.1% [21.3%, 41.3%]; P < .0001), nausea (56.7% [45.0%, 65.8%]; P < .0001), RUQ pain (57.8% [46.1%, 66.9%]; P < .0001), and vomiting (27.8% [18.4%, 37.7%]; P < .0001) showed significant improvement after LC. Chronic cholecystitis and/or cholesterolosis were present on pathology in 79.8% of gallbladders. DISCUSSION: Our study currently represents the largest cohort of patients with hyperkinetic BD. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy appears to result in resolution of symptoms for this clinical entity.

Biliary Dyskinesia: Current Perspectives and Future Directions.

Biliary dyskinesia (BD) is a disorder characterized by functional biliary pain, the absence of gallstones on ultrasound, and the finding of a reduced gallbladder ejection fraction on a cholecystokinin-cholescintigraphic scan. Cholecystectomy remains a commonly applied treatment for BD, despite a lack of high-quality evidence supporting the practice. The following article provides an overview of the current diagnostic strategies, treatment outcomes with both surgical and nonsurgical treatment, emerging considerations related to special populations, and suggestions for addressing the identified knowledge gaps, moving forward in an effort to develop stronger, more evidence-based practice guidelines for treating this poorly understood and poorly studied condition.

Biliary Dyskinesia: Fact or fiction?

Nearly 20,000 pediatric patients undergo cholecystectomy annually, and abnormal gallbladder emptying ("biliary dyskinesia") has replaced cholelithiasis as the leading indication for this operation in the USA. Nonetheless, patients with abnormal gallbladder emptying nuclear medicine scans do not uniformly benefit from cholecystectomy. This article reviews the available data on presentation, workup and treatment of patients with abnormally low and high rates of gallbladder emptying.

An Update on Biliary Dyskinesia.

Biliary dyskinesia is a functional disorder of the gallbladder or sphincter of Oddi. While cholecystectomy for symptomatic cholelithiasis is widely accepted, debate remains regarding the clinical benefit of invasive procedures for biliary dyskinesia. This article will review current best evidence in the diagnosis and management of biliary dyskinesia.

Effects of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in normokinetic biliary dyskinesia.

This is the largest single center retrospective study to date looking at response to laparoscopic cholecystectomy in patients with acalculous biliary disease. A chart review was completed on 1116 patients from 2009 to 2014 who had admitting diagnoses related to acalculous cholecystitis and biliary colic. Four hundred and seventy four patients were available for long term follow up (6 months or longer). Multiple factors were studied as related to cholescintigraphy scans with cholecystokinin administration (HIDA with CCK). Hyperkinetic, normokinetic and hypokinetic ejection fractions (EF), as well as reproduction of symptoms with administration of CCK were catagorized. ROME III criteria (Table 1) were used to describe cholecystitis/biliary colic symptoms. (1). It was found that rates of resolution of symptoms after laparoscopic cholecystectomy in normokinetic and hypokinetic were similar. It was also found that reproduction of symptoms after administration of CCK was a better predictor of favorable response to surgery than calculated ejection fraction.

Gallbladder Dysfunction: Cholecystitis, Choledocholithiasis, Cholangitis, and Biliary Dyskinesia.

The prevalence of gallstones is 10% to 15% in adults. Individuals with acute cholecystitis present with right upper quadrant pain, fever, and leukocytosis. Management includes supportive care and cholecystectomy. The prevalence of choledocholithiasis is 10% to 20%, and serious complications include cholangitis and gallstone pancreatitis. The goal of management in individuals with choledocholithiasis consists of clearing common bile duct stones. Acute ascending cholangitis is a life-threatening condition involving acute inflammation and infection of the common bile duct. Treatment includes intravenous fluids, analgesia, intravenous antibiotics, and biliary drainage and decompression. Biliary dyskinesia includes motility disorders resulting in biliary colic in the absence of gallstones.

Epigastric symptoms of gallbladder dyskinesia mistaken for functional dyspepsia: Retrospective observational study.

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a constellation of epigastric symptoms originating in the gastroduodenal region without organic and metabolic cause. However, similar confounding symptoms can also appear in patients with gallbladder (GB) dyskinesia. Therefore, symptoms of GB dyskinesia may be mistaken for FD. We aimed to identify GB dyskinesia as a cause of FD symptoms compatible with the Rome IV criteria and the need for an evaluation of GB function in patients with FD symptoms.We investigated information of patients with FD symptoms who underwent a quantitative Tc-diisoproyl iminodiacetic acid cholescintigraphy (DISIDA scan) through electronic medical records, and GB dyskinesia was judged to be the cause of the FD symptoms if the symptoms disappeared as GB function normalized on the follow-up DISIA scan in patient with decreased GB function on the initial DISIDA scan.A total of 275 patients underwent a DISIDA scan. Eighteen patients of them had FD symptoms compatible with the Rome IV criteria. Three were lost after undergoing a DISIDA scan. Eight had normal GB function, and the other 7 had decreased GB function on the initial DISIDA scan. In 4 of the 7 patients with GB dyskinesia, FD symptoms disappeared as GB function normalized. As a result, GB dyskinesia was the cause of the symptoms in 4 of 18 patients with FD symptoms compatible with the Rome IV criteria.It is necessary to evaluate GB function in patients with refractory FD symptoms because the symptoms can be caused by GB dyskinesia.

Biliary Dyskinesia in Children: A Systematic Review.

Cholecystectomy rates for biliary dyskinesia in children are rising in the United States, but not in other countries. Biliary dyskinesia is a validated functional gallbladder disorder in adults, requiring biliary colic in the diagnosis. In contrast, most studies in children require upper abdominal pain, absent gallstones on ultrasound, and an abnormal gallbladder ejection fraction (GBEF) on cholecystokinin-stimulated cholescintigraphy for diagnosis. We aimed to systematically review existing literature in biliary dyskinesia in children, determine the validity and reliability of diagnostic criteria, GBEF, and to assess outcomes following cholecystectomy. We performed a systematic review following the PRISMA checklist and searched 7 databases including PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Ovid, MEDLINE, ProQuest, Web of Science, and the Cochrane library. Bibliographies of articles were screened for additional studies. Our search terms yielded 916 articles of which 28 were included. Three articles were manually added from searched references. We reviewed 31 peer-reviewed publications, all retrospective chart reviews. There was heterogeneity in diagnostic criteria and GBEF values. Outcomes after laparoscopic cholecystectomy varied from 34% to 100% success, and there was no consensus concerning factors influencing outcomes. The observational, retrospective study designs that comprised our review limited interpretation of safety and efficacy of the investigations and treatment in biliary dyskinesia in children. Symptoms of biliary dyskinesia overlapped with functional dyspepsia. There is a need for consensus on symptoms defining biliary dyskinesia, validation of testing required for diagnosis of biliary dyskinesia, and randomized controlled trials comparing medical versus surgical management in children with upper abdominal pain.

Gallbladder disease in children.

Biliary disease in children has changed over the past few decades, with a marked rise in incidence-perhaps most related to the parallel rise in pediatric obesity-as well as a rise in cholecystectomy rates. In addition to stone disease (cholelithiasis), acalculous causes of gallbladder pain such as biliary dyskinesia, also appear to be on the rise and present diagnostic and treatment conundrums to surgeons.

Discinesia da vesícula biliar / Gallbladder dyskinesia

A dor abdominal é um sintoma relativamente comum que leva centenas de pessoas (adultos e crianças) aos centros de emergência e consultórios médicos no Brasil e no mundo. Eventualmente, a investigação por anormalidades estruturais nos órgãos abdominais não revela alterações indicativas de doença, resultando no diagnóstico de desordem funcional gastrointestinal. As desordens funcionais precisam ser investigadas a fundo para a aquisição do diagnóstico correto e início do tratamento direcionado. Nas últimas cinco décadas, a Discinesia da Vesícula Biliar (DVB) tem sido reconhecida como a principal causa da dor abdominal em pacientes com desordens funcionais gastrointestinais sem alterações aparentes nos órgãos abdominais. A DVB é um distúrbio funcional da vesícula biliar caracterizada pelos sintomas de cólica biliar, pela ausência de patologia da vesícula biliar visível e pela redução da fração de ejeção da vesícula biliar (FEVB) observada na colecintigrafia. Entretanto, o diagnóstico e o tratamento desta doença permanecem controversos. Nesse contexto, o presente trabalho consiste em uma revisão da literatura e tem, como objetivo, apresentar e discutir o estado da arte da DVB, contemplando as mais atuais modalidades de diagnóstico e os principais métodos de tratamento da doença.

The abdominal pain is a relatively common symptom that takes hundreds of people (adults and children) to Emergency Rooms and doctors offices in Brazil and all around the world. Occasionally, the search for structural irregularities in the abdominal organs does not reveal indication of diseases, leading to the diagnosis of gastrointestinal functional disorder. The functional disorders must be deeply investigated in order to achieve the correct diagnosis and begin the specific treatment. Over the last five decades, the Gallbladder Dyskinesia (GD) has been recognized as the main cause for abdominal pain among patients with gastrointestinal functional disorders but no apparent alteration in the abdominal organs. The GD is a gallbladder functional disorder known for symptoms such as biliary colic, absence of any noticeable gallbladder pathology and a reduction of the gallbladders ejection fraction (GEF) noticed through the cholecystography. Nonetheless, the diagnosis and the treatment for this disease remain controversial. In this context, the following study consists in a review of the literature and has, as its main objective, to present and discuss the current situation of the GV, addressing the most advanced diagnosis strategies and the main treatment methods for the disease.

Prediction of symptom improvement in children with biliary dyskinesia.

BACKGROUND: Rates of cholecystectomy for biliary dyskinesia are rising. Our objective was to identify clinical determinants of symptom improvement in children undergoing cholecystectomy for biliary dyskinesia. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included patients undergoing cholecystectomy for biliary dyskinesia from 2006-2013 who had their gallbladder ejection fraction (EF) measured by either cholecystokinin-stimulated hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid scan and/or fatty meal ultrasound. Patients presenting from 2010-2013 were interviewed >1 y after cholecystectomy to determine symptom improvement, complete symptom resolution, and any postoperative clinical interventions related to biliary dyskinesia. Sensitivity and positive predictive values for the diagnostic tests for symptom improvement were calculated. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify preoperative characteristics associated with symptom improvement. RESULTS: Of the 153 included patients, 76% were female, 89% were Caucasian, and 39% were obese. At postoperative evaluation, symptom improvement was reported by 82% of the patients and complete symptom resolution in 56%. For both the hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid and fatty meal ultrasound, the sensitivity of the test to predict symptom improvement increased with higher EF, whereas the positive predictive values remained around 80%. Of the 41 patients who participated in phone interview for long-term follow-up, 85% reported symptom improvement and 44% reported complete symptom resolution. Factors associated with symptom improvement included a shorter duration of pain, a history of vomiting, and a history of epigastric pain. CONCLUSIONS: Despite not identifying an EF level that predicted symptom improvement, over 80% of patients undergoing cholecystectomy for biliary dyskinesia reported symptom improvement. These results support continuing to offer cholecystectomy to treat biliary dyskinesia in children.

Biliary dyskinesia: a surgical disease rarely found outside the United States.

BACKGROUND: Our objective was to determine if cholecystectomy for biliary dyskinesia (BD) was performed more commonly in the United States than in 4 comparator countries around the world. METHODS: Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we extracted and analyzed data for cholecystectomy from 1991 to 2011 using ICD-9 (International Classification of Diseases 9th Revision) procedure codes. To derive the number of cholecystectomies performed for BD, we used the ICD-9 code 575.8, greater than 80% of which are patients with BD. The same or equivalent code was used for the international comparator group. Through a SURGINET query we obtained data from verifiable national databases in 4 developed countries including the Swedish quality registry for surgical treatments of gallstone-related conditions (GallRiks), the Norwegian Cholecystectomy Registry, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and the Polish National Health Insurance Agency. RESULTS: In the years ranging from 2008 to 2011, the number of cholecystectomies for BD per 1,000,000 population per year was less than 25 in the 4 comparator countries and greater than 85 in the United States (P < .01). From 1991 to 2011, the number of cholecystectomies for BD in the United States significantly increased from 43.3 to 89.1 per 1,000,000 population (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: These data strongly suggest that cholecystectomy for BD is over utilized in the United States. In addition, this trend continues to increase in frequency.

Hepatobiliary phase of gadoxetic acid-enhanced MR in patients suspected of having gallbladder dyskinesia: comparison with hepatobiliary scintigraphy.

OBJECTIVE: To compare hepatobiliary phase of gadoxetic acid-enhanced magnetic resonance (HMR) and hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HBS) for evaluation of cystic duct patency and gallbladder contractility in patients suspected of having gallbladder dyskinesia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighteen patients underwent HMR and HBS. Cystic duct patency and gallbladder ejection fraction (GBEF) were compared to determine a significant difference between HMR and HBS. RESULTS: HMR and HBS had 15 concordant and 3 discordant results for cystic duct patency. GBEF in eight patients showed no significant difference between both modalities. CONCLUSION: HMR may be an alternative to HBS for the functional evaluation of cystic duct patency and GBEF.

Cholecystectomy for biliary dyskinesia in gastroparesis: mimic or misfortune?

OBJECTIVES: Biliary dyskinesia and gastroparesis are associated with upper abdominal discomfort and dyspeptic symptoms in the absence of structural abnormalities. We hypothesized that the similarity in symptoms would trigger testing and surgical treatment for biliary abnormalities in a significant number of patients, with refractory symptoms ultimately demonstrating impairment of gastric function. METHODS: The study was designed as a retrospective review of patients seen between April 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009. Patients were identified using diagnosis code for gastroparesis (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code 536.3). Demographic information, duration, etiology and severity of disease, coexisting psychiatric illness, pain and functional gastrointestinal disorders, medication use, and abdominal surgery with a focus on cholecystectomy were abstracted from the medical records. RESULTS: A total of 131 patients were identified. Women predominated (77.86%), and the idiopathic form of gastroparesis was the most common etiology. A total of 59 (45%) patients had undergone cholecystectomies. Although symptomatic cholelithiasis was the primary indication, more than one-third of these patients underwent surgery for biliary dyskinesia (n = 19) or chronic acalculous cholecystitis (n = 2). In this subgroup, improvement was either absent (n = 13) or transient only (n = 8), lasting for 1.0 ± 0.6 months. Patients who underwent cholecystectomy were younger compared with the rest of the group; all other variables did not show significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the overlap and correlation between gastric and gallbladder function, we should raise the threshold for biliary dyskinesia and reassess the appropriateness of surgical therapy, especially in patients with coexisting dyspeptic symptoms.

Biliary pain, no gallstones--remove the gallbladder, anyway?

As these 2 cases show, cholecystectomy may be helpful for such patients, even those with a high ejection fraction.

Gallbladder dysfunction: how much longer will it be controversial?

BACKGROUND: Motility disorders of the biliary tree [biliary dyskinesia, including both gallbladder dysfunction (GBD), and sphincter of Oddi dysfunction] are difficult to diagnose and to treat. SUMMARY: There is controversy in the literature in particular regarding the criteria that should be used to select patients for cholecystectomy (CCY) in cases of suspected GBD. The current review covers the history, diagnosis, and treatment of GBD. Key Messages: Only >85% of patients with suspected GBD have relief following CCY, a much lower rate than the nearly 100% success rate following CCY for gallstone disease. Unfortunately, the literature is lacking, and there are no universally agreed-upon criteria for selecting which patients to refer for operation, although cholecystokinin (CCK)-enhanced hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid scan is often used, with emphasis on an abnormally low gallbladder ejection fraction or pain reproduction at CCK administration. There is a clear need for large, well-designed, more definitive, prospective studies to better identify the indications for and efficacy of CCY in cases of GBD.

Cholecystectomy for biliary dyskinesia: how did we get there?

BACKGROUND: The focus of biliary dyskinesia (BD) shifted within the last 30 years, moving from symptoms after cholecystectomy (CCY) to symptoms with morphological normal gallbladder, but low gallbladder ejection fraction. METHODS: We searched the pubmed database to systematically review studies focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of gallbladder dysfunction. RESULTS: Impaired gallbladder contraction can be found in about 20% of healthy controls and an even higher number of patients with various other disorders. Surgery for BD increased after introduction of laparoscopic CCY, with BD now accounting for >20% of CCY in adults and up to 60% in pediatric patients. The majority of cases reported were operated in the USA, which differs from surgical series for cholelithiasis. Postoperative outcomes do not differ between groups with abnormal or normal gallbladder function. CONCLUSION: Functional gallbladder testing should not be seen as an indicator of relevant biliary tract disease or prognostic marker to identify patients who may benefit from operative intervention. Instead biliary dyskinesia should be considered as a part of a spectrum of functional disorders, which are generally managed conservatively. Small proof of concept studies have demonstrated effects of medical therapy on biliary dysfunction and should thus be never tested in appropriately designed trials.