Prospective assessment of dynamic CT and MR cholangiography in functional biliary pain.

Objective: The objectives of our study were to assess the feasibility of dynamic CT and MR cholangiography during gallbladder stimulation, to compare CT and MR cholangiography with biliary scintigraphy, and to identify morphologic differences between patients with functional biliary pain and healthy control subjects.

Subjects And Methods: In this prospective study, 30 patients with functional biliary pain underwent biliary scintigraphy, CT cholangiography, and MR cholangiography before and during 45-minute sincalide infusions. Thirty healthy control subjects also underwent MR cholangiography with sincalide infusion.

Factors that predict relief from upper abdominal pain after cholecystectomy.

Background & Aims: Upper abdominal pain (UAP) in patients with gallstones is often treated by cholecystectomy but it frequently persists. We aimed to identify symptoms associated with relief.

Methods: We followed 1008 patients who received cholecystectomy for gallstones and UAP at the Mayo Clinic (Rochester, Minnesota) or Kaiser Permanente (San Diego, California) for 12 months.

A questionnaire for the assessment of biliary symptoms.

Objectives: Gallstone disease is common and causes high health care costs, but a measure of symptomatic biliary disease for outcome studies is lacking. We aimed to develop a reproducible, valid, discriminative, disease-specific measure of biliary symptoms.

Methods: We created the self-report Biliary Symptoms Questionnaire (BSQ) by combining possible biliary symptoms with validated items for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and other disorders.