Evaluation of surgical outcomes and gallbladder characteristics in patients with biliary dyskinesia

Introduction: This study was designed to compare symptomatic outcomes following cholecystectomy in patients with biliary dyskinesia. Materials and Methods: From 1999 to 2006 at New York University Medical Center, 197 adults underwent hepatobiliary scintigraphy with cholecystokinin administration to evaluate gallbladder ejection fraction (GBEF). Biliary dyskinesia was demonstrated in 120 patients based on decreased GBEF of ≤35%. Forty-four patients underwent cholecystectomy, and data from chart review and telephone questionnaires were available for 42 patients. Patients reported symptomatic improvement whether gallstones were present (25/27, 92.6%) or absent (13/15, 86.7%) prior to cholecystectomy (p=0.90). The most common pathologic findings were chronic cholecystitis and cholesterolosis, regardless of the presence of gallstones. Additional data from 101 of the 120 patients with decreased GBEF demonstrated 74/101 (73.2%) patients were diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and 59/101 (58.4%) patients were diagnosed with gastritis. Results: The results of this study suggest that biliary dyskinesia should be considered as part of the spectrum of symptomatic gallbladder disease that can be successfully treated with cholecystectomy and that biliary dyskinesia is associated with GERD and gastritis.