Motor function of the gallbladder: measurement and clinical significance.

Abnormalities in gallbladder emptying commonly occur in gallstone patients. Similar changes can be found in patients without gallstones that have disease that may predispose to stones, such as diabetes. Decreased contractility of the gallbladder can be measured clinically with variety of radiological techniques, and ultrasonography seems to have a number of advantages over others. In addition to a role in pathogenesis, decreased gallbladder emptying may determine the clearance of gallstones from the gallbladder during dissolution and after lithotripsy.