There are approximately 50,000 operations to remove the gallbladder (cholecystectomy) performed in the UK each year, this is the most common elective abdominal operation performed in the NHS, with a cost of around £50 million. Unfortunately the symptoms caused by gallstones have not been clearly identified despite research spanning decades. Most studies assess symptoms before and after gallbladder removal and suggest that approximately one quarter of patients undergoing cholecystectomy will not experience relief of symptoms. Currently there is lack of reliable means to estimate the likelihood of success of cholecystectomy.
Our research on human gallbladder and biliary system aim to introduce an objective estimate which can be applied to select patients for operation. We develop mathematical models of the gallbladder, which can be used to predict the mechanical stress level the gallbladder experiences based entirely on non-invasive images of the gallbladder during emptying. Initial research suggests that the stress level strongly correlates with the gallbladder pain, with almost 76% successful rate in correctly predicting the gallbladder pain. This is much higher than using the ejection fraction - commonly used in diagnosis. Current work is done to further test and develop mathematical model so that it can be used to routine radiological investigations of patients with suspected gallbladder disease.