Biliary dyskinesia is a disorder that affects your gallbladder’s motility and may lead to serious health conditions. Here are the signs and symptoms of biliary dyskinesia and how it is treated.
What Is It ?
This is a functional disorder that typically affects the gallbladder. However, it sometimes affects the small sphincter between the gallbladder and small intestine. A functional disorder is different from a mechanical blockage like a gallstone. Instead, this disorder is an issue with the way the organ works.
Your gallbladder is supposed to store bile and pass it on to the small intestine, where it helps digest food. However, biliary dyskinesia occurs when this process doesn’t work correctly. It may be an issue related to hormonal signaling, the nerves that receive the signal, or the muscle that are supposed to react. Healthcare providers can have a difficult time determine the exact cause at first.
Symptoms of Biliary Dyskinesia 
When the gallbladder doesn’t move bile out of the ducts, a backup occurs. This causes the gallbladder to become swollen and this can lead to infections, inflammation, and pain. Patients may experience intermittent pain in the upper abdomen that comes and goes, along with nausea, especially after eating.
Additionally, not having enough bile in the intestine can cause abdominal bloating, nausea, vomiting, and improper digestion. This is particularly true after eating fatty foods.
Who Gets It?
While healthcare providers typically attributed biliary pain with gallstones, they are now realizing that this may not be the case. Indeed, biliary dyskinesia is an increasingly recognized cause of gallbladder disease. It can impact older children and adults
Treatment Options
The only effective treatment for biliary dyskinesia is gallbladder removal. Cholecystectomy is a minimally invasive surgery and patients can go home the same day. Furthermore, if your provider determines that the issue is related to the sphincter muscle, this muscle may be widened or opened. This is normally done after your gallbladder is removed.
Doctor for Biliary Dyskinesia in Maryland
Gallbladder pain is distinct. If you are experiencing these symptoms, but your doctor can’t find any gallstones to explain your symptoms, it may be biliary dyskinesia. To learn more, please contact Maryland Bariatrics today.
