Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPrognosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prognosis
Biliary dyskinesiais a condition of thegallbladder. The gallbladder stores a digestive enzyme called bile. Bile is used to help break down ingested fat for proper absorption in the small intestine. When you have biliary dyskinesia, your gallbladder has trouble moving bile through bile ducts and into your intestine.
Biliary dyskinesia usually affects older children and adults. In some hospitals, it’s the number one reason for gallbladder removal procedures.
This article discusses the symptoms and causes of biliary dyskinesia. It also covers how it’s diagnosed and treated and what to expect for a prognosis.
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Symptoms of Biliary Dyskinesia
Biliary dyskinesia is considered a functional disorder. This means that normal functioning of the body—in this case, normal digestion—is disrupted. Under medical examination, there does not appear to be any abnormality. Therefore, symptoms are largely subjective or based on reports from the patient.
Patients diagnosed with biliary dyskinesia often complain of unexplained pain in theright upper quadrantof the abdomen.
Common symptoms of biliary dyskinesia include:
Gallbladder Pain: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments
Causes of Biliary Dyskinesia
Biliary dyskinesia occurs mostly in older children and adults. It is a common diagnosis in children. In some pediatric hospitals, biliary dyskinesia has become the most common reason for gallbladder removal.
Biliary dyskinesia is sometimes associated with a condition calledcholecystitis, a long-term condition involving inflammation of the gallbladder.
What Bile Is, Where It’s Made, and What It Does
Diagnosing Biliary Dyskinesia
Diagnostic criteria are the signs, symptoms, and test results you must have to be diagnosed with a condition.
The diagnostic criteria for biliary dyskinesia include:
When a person has symptoms like those of biliary colic along with a normal ultrasound, additional criteria must be met.
These criteria include:
There are two diagnostic tests that may be used to evaluate for biliary dyskinesia.
HIDA Scan
A hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan may be ordered if you meet the diagnostic criteria for biliary dyskinesia.
A HIDA scan is an imaging procedure involving a radioactive tracer that is injected into a vein in the arm. The tracer travels to the liver, where the liver’s bile-producing cells take up the tracer. Next, the tracer travels into the gallbladder through the bile ducts. Computer images are taken as a nuclear medicine scanner tracks the flow of the tracer.
A HIDA scan is used to evaluate for gallbladder abnormalities when no gallstones are seen on ultrasound.
What Is a Hepatobiliary Iminodiacetic Acid (HIDA) Scan?
Upper Endoscopy
An upper endoscopy is a procedure that is usually performed on an outpatient basis. It involves the use of a flexible tube with a camera (inserted through the mouth) to view the upper digestive system.
Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) Is a Procedure to Examine Your GI Tract
Treating Biliary Dyskinesia
The treatment of biliary dyskinesia is removal of the gallbladder, also called acholecystectomy.Some experts suggest that a cholecystectomy should not be performed if a person has been having symptoms for less than three months.
Before a cholecystectomy is performed, every person with symptoms of biliary dyskinesia should have complete lab studies. These include tests of:
These labs should all be normal before surgery is considered an option for the treatment of biliary dyskinesia.
Studies have shown that cholecystectomy was effective in the treatment of 80% to 90% of those with biliary dyskinesia.A year after cholecystectomy, ongoing symptom relief was found to be dependent on factors such as age and overall health. But the research shows that between 50% and 70% continued to have symptom relief a year after the surgery.
Summary
In biliary dyskinesia, the muscles in the gallbladder don’t contract properly when squeezing out bile. Bile is a digestive enzyme that helps break down fat so it can be absorbed in the small intestine.
Symptoms of biliary dyskinesia include pain in the upper right abdomen, pain after eating, intolerance of fatty foods, nausea, and vomiting. Your healthcare provider may suspect biliary dyskinesia based on symptoms and a normal ultrasound of the gallbladder. A HIDA scan and upper endoscopy may be done to help confirm the diagnosis.
For symptoms that don’t resolve, your healthcare provider may recommend surgery to remove the gallbladder. Studies show that surgery can be an effective treatment in 80% to 90% of cases.
3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Pediatric Surgical Association.Biliary dyskinesia.University of Wisconsin-Madison. Department of Surgery.Management of biliary dyskinesia.Heineman K.Osteopathic manipulative treatment in the management of biliary dyskinesia.J Am Osteopath Assoc.2014;114(2):129-33. doi:10.7556/jaoa.2014.027
3 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Pediatric Surgical Association.Biliary dyskinesia.University of Wisconsin-Madison. Department of Surgery.Management of biliary dyskinesia.Heineman K.Osteopathic manipulative treatment in the management of biliary dyskinesia.J Am Osteopath Assoc.2014;114(2):129-33. doi:10.7556/jaoa.2014.027
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Pediatric Surgical Association.Biliary dyskinesia.University of Wisconsin-Madison. Department of Surgery.Management of biliary dyskinesia.Heineman K.Osteopathic manipulative treatment in the management of biliary dyskinesia.J Am Osteopath Assoc.2014;114(2):129-33. doi:10.7556/jaoa.2014.027
American Pediatric Surgical Association.Biliary dyskinesia.
University of Wisconsin-Madison. Department of Surgery.Management of biliary dyskinesia.
Heineman K.Osteopathic manipulative treatment in the management of biliary dyskinesia.J Am Osteopath Assoc.2014;114(2):129-33. doi:10.7556/jaoa.2014.027
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