title: Quality of life after laparoscopic cholecystectomy for biliary dyskinesia in the pediatric population: a pilot study.
abstract: This pilot study examined symptom relief and quality of life in pediatric patients who received laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery at our institution for biliary dyskinesia. We used two validated questionnaires: the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ-PF28), to assess general well-being,  and the Gastrointestinal Quality of Life Index (GIQLI), to measure gastrointestinal-related health. After Institutional Review Board approval, all patients under the age of 18 years who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for biliary dyskinesia between November 2006 and May 2010 received  mailed questionnaires. Preoperative and postoperative data were retrospectively collected from respondents and included age, race, symptoms, gallbladder ejection fraction values, pathologic findings, and clinical course. Of 89 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 21 responded. Mean age at  surgery was 13.08 years (range, 8 to 17 years). The most common preoperative symptoms consisted of nausea (100%), postprandial pain (90.5%), right upper quadrant pain (81.0%), and vomiting (66.7%). Mean long-term follow-up interval was 18.9 months (range, 7 to 40 months; SD 10.37). Patients  with long-term symptom relief reported significantly higher GIQLI scores than those with enduring symptoms. Examination of the results from the CHQ-PF28 revealed significantly lower scores than a general U.S. pediatric sample in both the Physical and Psychosocial Summary Measures (P  < 0.05). Children experiencing long-term symptom cessation after laparoscopic cholecystectomy reported higher quality of life than those who had incomplete or only short-term relief. However, regardless of the degree of symptom relief, the degree of quality of life experienced by our study  sample of patients with biliary dyskinesia is lower than that of a comparable U.S. pediatric sample.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, West Virginia University/Charleston Division, Charleston, West Virginia 25304, USA. docja213@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Damian
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Maxwell
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Bryan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Richmond
authors.forename: Jillian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McCagg
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ubert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001657:Biliary Dyskinesia / Q000601:surgery*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D017081:Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome