Management of gallbladder dyskinesia: patient outcomes following positive 99mtechnetium (Tc)-labelled hepatic iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scintigraphy with cholecystokinin (CCK) provocation and laparoscopic cholecystectomy

• Gallbladder dyskinesia (GD) is a challenging condition to diagnose and treat.
• This study evaluated clinical outcomes following laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC).
• There was sustained symptomatic benefit in >80% following surgery.
• Pre-operative counselling before LC is important.

AimsTo evaluate clinical outcomes in patients with typical biliary pain, normal ultrasonic findings, and a positive 99mtechnetium (Tc)-labelled hepatic iminodiacetic acid analogue (HIDA) scintigraphy with cholecystokinin (CCK) provocation indicating gallbladder dyskinesia, as per Rome III criteria, undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC).Methods and materialsConsecutive patients undergoing LC for gallbladder dyskinesia were identified retrospectively. They were followed up by telephone interview and review of the electronic case records to assess symptom resolution.ResultsOne hundred consecutive patients (median age 44; 80% female) with abnormal gallbladder ejection fraction (GB-EF <35%) were followed up for a median of 12 months (range 2–80 months). Following LC, 84% reported symptomatic improvement and 52% had no residual pain. Twelve percent had persisting preoperative-type pain of either unchanged or worsening severity. Neither pathological features of chronic cholecystitis (87% of 92 incidences when histology available) nor reproduction of pain on CCK injection were significantly predictive of symptom outcome or pain relief post-LC.ConclusionIn one of the largest outcome series of gallbladder dyskinesia patients in the UK with a positive provocation HIDA scintigraphy examination and LC, the present study shows that the test is a useful functional diagnostic tool in the management of patients with typical biliary pain and normal ultrasound, with favourable outcomes following surgery.