Included studies
| Author | Year | Study type | PCD rate (%) | Investigative method | Predictive factors | Time post-op | Level of evidence |
| Ros and Zambon19 | 1987 | Prospective cohort study | 8/93 (8.6) | Interview+own questionnaire | Not assessed | 2 years | 3 |
| Wilson5 | 1993 | Retrospective case-controlled study | 6/100 (6) | Own questionnaire | Not assessed | 0–31 months | 4 |
| Heaton et al20 | 1993 | Retrospective cohort study | 3/37 (9) | Questionnaire | Not assessed | 3 months to 26 years | 4 |
| McMahon et al18 | 1995 | Randomised controlled trial | 62/233 (26.6) | Own questionnaire; SF-36 and HADS | Not assessed | 1 year | 2 |
| Fort et al7 | 1996 | Prospective cohort study | 18/148 (12) | Own questionnaire | Not assessed | 4 years | 3 |
| Luman et al9 | 1996 | Prospective cohort study | 2/97 (2.1) | Own questionnaire | Not assessed | 6 months | 3 |
| Gui et al25 | 1998 | Retrospective case-controlled study | 5/92 (5.4) | Questionnaire | Not assessed | 12 months | 4 |
| Hearing et al21 | 1999 | Prospective cohort study | 6/106 (5.7) | Telephone questionnaire+stool record form | Not assessed | 2–6 months | 3 |
| Sauter et al33 | 2002 | Prospective cohort study | 3/51 (5.9) | Interview | Not assessed | 3 months | 3 |
| Topcu et al24 | 2003 | Retrospective case-controlled study | 8/200 (4) | SF-36 and GIQLI | Not assessed | 3–4 years | 4 |
| Finan et al26 | 2006 | Prospective cohort study | 12/55 (21.8) | SF-36 | Not assessed | 2–32 months | 3 |
| Fisher et al38 | 2008 | Prospective cohort study | 17/100 (17) | Telephone survey | High BMI, male, <50 years old | 6–12 months | 3 |
| Mertens et al | 2009 | Prospective cohort study | 17/129 (3.5) | Questionnaire | Preoperative flatulence and heartburn | 6 weeks | 3 |
| Kim et al23 | 2014 | Prospective cohort study | 13/65 (20) | SCL 90 R | Gastritis | 3–6 months | 3 |
| Yueh et al39 | 2014 | Prospective longitudinal study | 7/125 (5.7) | Questionnaire (internally validated) | High fat diet, age <45 | 3 months | 3 |
| Wanjura et al42 | 2016 | Retrospective cohort study | 54/451 (12) | EQ-5D and GIQLI | Female, gallstone pain and pancreatitis/CBD stones | 37–49 months | 4 |
| Talseth et al41 | 2017 | Retrospective cohort study | 51/931 (5.47) | Questionnaire—HADS | Women | 3 | |
| Manriquez et al22 | 2017 | Retrospective cohort study | 8/100 (8) | Telephone survey | 4–6 months | 3 | |
| Del Grande et al35 | 2017 | Retrospective cross-sectional study | 39/111 (35.1) | Own questionnaire | Prior gastrointestinal symptoms | N/A | 3 |
| Kim et al10 | 2018 | Randomised controlled trial | 79/138 (57.2) | EORTC-QLQ C-30 | None found | 3 months | 2–3 |
| Jasim et al40 | 2018 | Prospective cohort study | 44/114 (38.59) | Bristol stool chart | Age <40; increased BMI, fatty meals | 10 days, 3 months, 6 months | 3 |
BMI, body mass index; CBD, common bile duct; EORTC-QLQ-C-30, European organisation for the research and treatment of cancer quality of life questionnaire; EQ-5D, Euro-qual 5D; GIQLI, gastrointestinal quality of life; HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score; PCD, postcholecystectomy diarrhoea; SCL 90 R, symptom checklist 90 revised; SF-36, short form 36 .