Peter Cotton, MD, a gastroenterologist with the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, is designing a national study to determine which patients are candidates for gall bladder removal surgery, according to a report from The Post and Courier.
The study will focus on patients who do not have gallstones, but suffer from functional gallbladder disorder. Dr. Cotton is applying for a $1.5 million, three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health, according to the report. The study will be run in collaboration with Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic.
There is a possibility the study could grow to become a $10 million project with multiple sites across the country, according to the report.