Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallbladder dyskinesia: clinical outcome and patient satisfaction

The clinical outcome of laparoscopic cholecystectomy in 63 patients with gallbladder dyskinesia (GD) and 60 patients with proven gallstone (GS) disease was compared. Patients were contacted to determine the extent of symptom relief and satisfaction after surgery. Patients with GD underwent significantly more diagnostic procedures than patients with GS and were found to have higher prevalence of other gastrointestinal motor disorders. Only 47% of patients with GD became completely asymptomatic after surgery, compared with 81% of patients with GS (p = 0.002). This was reflected in the satisfaction scores, which were 79% and 91%, respectively (p < 0.01). There was a significant difference in pathologic findings among the two groups; chronic cholecystitis was more frequently found in the GS group and the incidence of normal gallbladder was higher in the GD group. It is concluded that patients with GD have a good response to laparoscopic cholecystectomy, but they commonly experience continuing gastrointestinal symptoms related to other gastrointestinal motor disorders.