Functional Gallbladder Disorders: Are We Missing Gallstones?

Functional gallbladder disorders remain a rare but not insignificant contributor to patients with undifferentiated abdominal pain. In the setting of microlithiasis, 1 in 5 patients will have gallstones missed on preoperative imaging. These emphases the importance of considering functional aspects of biliary pain in the absence of structural pathologies and being aware of the limitations of imaging to reduce the morbidity false negatives can confer.