Gall Bladder, Impaired Motility 

This photo taken during laparoscopy shows the gall bladder (small white organ in middle) surrounded by yellow fat. Liver (dark red organ) is overlying.

What Is Impaired Gall Bladder Motility?

Impaired gall bladder motility means the gall bladder is slow to empty or is dysfunctional.

The functional disorder of the gallbladder is caused initially either by metabolic abnormalities or by an alteration in its muscular ability to contract (motility dysfunction).

The diagnostic criteria based on symptoms of motility dysfunction of the gallbladder are episodes of moderate to severe steady pain located in the epigastrium and right upper abdominal quadrant that last at least 30 minutes.

Gallbladder motility disorder is suspected after gallstones and other structural abnormalities have been excluded.1

Q: What does the gallbladder do?

A: The gallbladder is a small pouch-like organ about the size of a pear that receives bile produced by the liver and stores it until needed during digestion. It lies just under the liver.

Bile is a complex fluid containing water, electrolytes and many organic molecules including bile acids, cholesterol, phospholipids and bilirubin. Bile  acids are critical for digestion and absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins in the small intestine.  Many waste products, including bilirubin, are eliminated from the body by secretion into bile and elimination in feces.2

Before a meal, the gallbladder is usually full of bile. In response to fat in the diet, the gallbladder squeezes stored bile into the small intestine through a series of ducts. When emptied after meals, the gallbladder is flat.

What Is Impaired Gall Bladder Motility In Celiac Disease and/or Gluten Sensitivity?

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1. Behar J, Corazziari E, Guelrud M, Hogan W, Sherman S, Toouli J. Functional gallbladder and sphincter of oddi disorders. Gastroenterology. 2006 Apr;130(5):1498-509. [↩]
2. http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/digestion/liver/bile.html [↩]