biliary dyskinesia

biliary dyskinesia, obscure functional disorder related in some way to the workings of the biliary tract, the structures that serve to secrete, transport, and store bile. The complaint is characterized by spasmodic pain over the pit of the stomach, tenderness in this area, nausea, and vomiting. The nausea, accompanied by headache, giddiness, and the experiencing of blind spots (scotomas), may precede the attacks of pain. There is no evidence of structural abnormalities or of abnormalities related to the secretion of bile. The disorder has been defined as a derangement of the filling and emptying mechanisms of the gallbladder. Elsewhere it has been stated that biliary dyskinesia occurs most often in elderly women whose gallbladders have been removed but have been found to contain no gallstones. Treatment includes reassurance, making sure that opiates, alcohol, and fats are avoided, and administration of sedative and antispasmodic drugs at the start of an attack.