Surgical therapy for biliary dyskinesia: A meta-analysis and review of the literature

Background: Although biliary dyskinesia is treated commonly with cholecystectomy, the supporting literature is limited. A review and meta-analysis of the literature were performed to assess the efficacy of surgical therapy for biliary dyskinesia. Materials and Methods: A MEDLINE search for the period 1965 to 2003, using the search strings biliary, acalculous, dyskinesia, cholecystitis, cholecystectomy, and therapy returned 187 articles. Inclusion criteria required a study design that placed patients with biliary dyskinesia into one of two treatment groups, cholecystectomy or nonoperative therapy, and a follow-up assessment of symptomatic improvement. Results: Five studies met the inclusion criteria, representing a total of 274 patients. Surgical therapy resulted in 98% symptomatic relief compared to 32% with nonoperative management (P < 0.0001). Patients undergoing surgical therapy for biliary dyskinesia were 2.79 times more likely to have symptomatic relief versus nonoperative therapy (95% confidence interval, 2.05-3.79). Conclusion: Based on this meta-analysis, cholecystectomy for biliary dyskinesia is an effective therapy and offers significant symptomatic relief over nonoperative therapy.