Preoperative symptom duration predicts success in relieving abdominal pain caused by biliary dyskinesia in a pediatric population.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with symptom relief in pediatric patients treated with laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) for biliary dyskinesia (BD).

METHODS

This was a case-control study of pediatric patients diagnosed with BD between January 2004 and June 2011. Controls were patients with symptom resolution and cases were patients who did not experience symptom relief.

RESULTS

Fifty patients met study eligibility, of whom 43 were controls and 7 were cases. Mean follow-up for the cohort was 26.5months. Unadjusted comparisons suggested no significant differences (p>0.05) between the two groups in the distribution of demographic and clinical variables with the exception of preoperative duration of symptoms and presence of comorbidity. After adjusting for comorbidities, the only significant predictor associated with the resolution of symptoms after surgery was preoperative duration of symptoms (OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.15-0.94); 96% of patients with symptoms<12months had symptom relief versus 70% with symptoms≥12months.

CONCLUSIONS

Symptoms associated with BD can be successfully relieved with LC. These data suggest patients with preoperative symptoms for less than 12months are the most likely to have symptom relief after surgery.