does gall-bladder ejection fraction on cholecystokinin cholescintigraphy predict outcome after cholecystectomy in suspected functional biliary pain?
GROUND: Patients with suspected functional biliary pain often undergo cholecystectomy if a decreased gall-bladder ejection fraction (GBEF <35%) is demonstrated by cholecystokinin cholescintigraphy. However, the validity of GBEF in predicting which patients will have symptomatic relief following cholecystectomy is unclear. AIM: To determine whether patients with suspected functional biliary pain with decreased GBEF have a better symptomatic outcome after cholecystectomy than those with normal GBEF. METHODS: Systematic review and meta-analysis of the published literature through MEDLINE and EMBASE databases. RESULTS: We included nine studies with a total of 974 patients with suspected functional biliary pain; 362 patients underwent cholecystectomy. Most studies assessed outcome by direct patient interview. Mean ages across the studies ranged from 35 to 47 years; 78% of all patients were female. Mean duration of follow-up after surgery ranged from 1 to 2.5 years. After cholecystectomy, 94
