Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Abnormal gallbladder emptying in patients with gallstones

  • Original Articles
  • Published:
Digestive Diseases and Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In this study, gallbladder and gastric emptying were compared in 15 normal subjects and 15 patients with gallstones. A noninvasive technique which uses two gamma-emitting radiopharmaceutical agents to image the gallbladder and stomach simultaneously was employed. Technetium-99m-HIDA was used as a gamma-emitting marker for the gallbladder and indium-111-DTPA was mixed with a standard liquid meal in order to stimulate gallbladder emptying and to measure gastric emptying. In patients with gallstones, gallbladder emptying was diminished significantly compared to normal subjects. In contrast, emptying of the stomach was normal. The gallbladder emptying responses to octapeptide of cholecystokinin, administered either as bolus or infusion doses, were similar in normal subjects and patients with gallstones. These studies suggest that gallbladder emptying may be abnormal in patients with gallstones. The explanation for this abnormality and its relationship to the development of gallstones has not been determined.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. La Morte WW, Schoetz DJ, Birkett DH, Williams LF: The role of the gallbladder in the pathogenesis of cholesterol gallstones. Gastroenterology 77:580–592, 1979

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Meyer PD, DenBesten L, Gurll NJ: Effects of cholesterol gallstone induction on gallbladder function and bile salt pool size in the prairie dog model. Surgery 83:599–604, 1978

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Shaffer EA, Small DM: Gallstone disease: Pathogenesis and management. Curr Probl Surg 13:1–72, 1976

    Google Scholar 

  4. Park CY, Pae YS, Hong SS: Radiologic studies on emptying of the human gallbladder. Ann Surg 171:294–299, 1970

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Edholm P: Gallbladder evacuation in the normal male induced by cholecystokinin. Acta Radiol 53:257–265, 1960

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Brunner H, Northfield TC, Hofmann AF, Go VLW, Summerskill WHJ: Gastric emptying and secretion of bile acids, cholesterol and pancreatic enzymes during digestion: Duodenal perfusion studies in healthy subjects. Mayo Clin Proc 49:851–860, 1974

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Levitt MO, Bond J: Use of the constant perfusion technique in the nonsteady state. Gastroenterology 73:1450–1453, 1977

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Van Berge Henegouwen GP, Hofmann AF: Nocturnal gallbladder storage and emptying in gallstone patients and healthy subjects. Gastroenterology 75:879–885, 1978

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Englert E, Chiu VS: Quantitation of human biliary evacuation with a radioisotope technique. Gastroenterology 50:506–518, 1966

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Rosenthall L, Shaffer EA, Lisbone R, Spellman SJ: Diagnosis of hepatobiliary disease by Tc-99m-HIDA cholecystography. Radiology 126:467–475, 1978

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Spellman SJ, Shaffer EA, Rosenthall L: Gallbladder emptying in response to cholecystokinin. A cholescintigraphic study. Gastroenterology 77:115–120, 1979

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Krishnamurthy GI: Radionuclide ejection fraction: A new technique for quantitative analysis of motor function of the human gallbladder. Gastroenterology (in press)

  13. Harvey E, Loberg M, Cooper M: Tc-99m-HIDA. A new radiopharmaceutical for hepatobiliary imaging. J Nucl Med 16:533–539, 1975

    Google Scholar 

  14. Heading RC, Tothill P, Laidlow AJ: An evaluation of113m indium DTPA chelate in the measurement of gastric emptying by scintiscanning. Gut 12:611–615, 1971

    Google Scholar 

  15. Smith EM: Internal dose calculation for99mTc. J Nucl Med 6:231–251, 1965

    Google Scholar 

  16. Nebel OT: Manometric evaluation of the papilla of Vater. Gastrointest Endosc 73:23–27, 1975

    Google Scholar 

  17. Geenen JE, Hogan WJ, Dodds WJ, Stewart ET, Arndorfer RC: Intraluminal pressure recording from the human sphincter of Oddi. Gastroenterology 78:317–324, 1980

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Go VLW, Hofmann AF, Summerskill WHJ: Simultaneous measurements of total pancreatic, biliary and gastric outputs in man using a perfusion technique. Gastroenterology 58:321–329, 1970

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Northfield TC, Hofmann AF: biliary lipid output during three meals and overnight fast. I. Relationship to bile acid pool size and cholesterol saturation of bile in gallstone and control subjects. Gut 16:1–11, 1975

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Mok HYI, Grundy SM: Gallbladder storage function in subjects with gallstones. Gastroenterology 74:1162, 1978 (abstract)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Shaffer EA, McOrmond P, Duggan H: Quantitative cholescintigraphy assessment of gallbladder filling and emptying and duodenogastric reflux. Gastroenterology 79:899–906, 1980

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Northfield TC, Kupfer RM, Maudgal DP, Zentler-Munro PL, Miller NW, McCready R: Gallbladder sensitivity to cholecystokinin in patients with gallstones. Br Med J 280:143–144, 1980

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine, 19140, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Robert S. Fisher MD, Frederick Stelzer MD, Elizabeth Rock MD & Leon S. Malmud MD

  2. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Temple University School of Medicine, 19140, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Robert S. Fisher MD, Frederick Stelzer MD, Elizabeth Rock MD & Leon S. Malmud MD

Authors
  1. Robert S. Fisher MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Frederick Stelzer MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Elizabeth Rock MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Leon S. Malmud MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Fisher, R.S., Stelzer, F., Rock, E. et al. Abnormal gallbladder emptying in patients with gallstones. Digest Dis Sci 27, 1019–1024 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01391749

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01391749

Keywords

Search

Navigation