Dysfunctional disorders of the biliary tract.

Gallbladder (GB) and Sphincter of Oddi (SO) dysfunctions represent the dysfunctional disorders of the biliary tract (BTDD) that manifest clinically as a variable combination of chronic or recurrent biliopancreatic symptoms and/or pancreatitis not explained by structural abnormalities. GB and SO dysfunctions are motor disorders of muscle contractility that, irrespective of the potential etiologic factors, cause abnormal GB emptying and, respectively, obstruction to the flow of bile and/or pancreatic juice into the duodenum. GB dysfunction is usually diagnosed on clinical grounds in patients with biliary type pain not accompanied by increase of temperature not by laboratory examinations and in whom ultrasonography (US) and/or cholescintigraphy can possibly detect an altered GB emptying. Although cholecystectomy is the most appropriate treatment of GB dysfunction and 50% to 70% of the patients benefit of cholecystectomy, no single test can predict the long-term outcome of surgery. SO dysfunction is usually suspected in cholecystectomized patients on clinical grounds, laboratory, US, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) findings. The diagnosis is supported by the measure of the extrahepatic bile transit time at cholescintigraphy and confirmed by SO manometry. Endoscopic sphincterotomy is the usual treatment of SO dysfunction that has an elevated therapeutic efficacy in patients with manometric diagnosis. Emotional and behavioral factors may play a direct role as precipitants of biliary pain or an indirect role by inducing eating behaviors at risk for BTDD. The possible presence of psychological and/or psychiatric components which may predispose to, coexist with, or manifest in reaction to the BTDD should be taken into consideration when developing a treatment strategy for these patients.