Biliary dyskinesia

Biliary dyskinesia is a disorder of the gallbladder and a part of the biliary system called the sphincter of Oddi. In healthy individuals, the gallbladder serves to store bile – a digestive fluid that is excreted to the small intestine to aid in the breaking down of fats. However, in biliary dyskinesia, bile is unable to reach the intestinal tract resulting in bile to remain in the gallbladder and/or biliary tract leading to pain. The symptoms of biliary dyskinesia are similar to other gallbladder diseases, such as gallstones. However, the main difference is that biliary dyskinesia causes these symptoms in the absence of gallstones. One of the most common symptoms of biliary dyskinesia is a sudden, sharp pain in the upper-right side of the abdomen. Symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and bloating may also indicate biliary dyskinesia. There are two types of biliary dyskinesia: Hyperkinetic biliary dyskinesia – this type occurs when the gallbladder contracts too often or too much but the sphincters do not fully open. This leads to an increase in the amount of unconcentrated bile excreted from the gallbladder and the depletion of bile reserves. Hypokinetic biliary dyskinesia – is the most common of the two types of biliary dyskinesia, therefore it’s more extensively studied. This type of dyskinesia is characterized by the gallbladder not contracting often enough.