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Cholelithiasis and fitness for work at sea.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the occurrence of cholelithiasis in the occupationally active population of seamen and deep-sea fishermen aged 20-60, to assess the impact of environmental and dietary factors upon its course and to evaluate the fitness for work at sea of persons with biliary stones. The study group comprised 36 seamen and fishermen who received surgical treatment because of symptoms and complications of cholelithiasis, and 1000 seamen and fishermen periodically examined among whom 34 cases of asymptomatic cholelithiasis were diagnosed. The diagnosis was based on the anamnesis, physical examination and usg examination of the gallbladder and biliary ducts, in selected cases supplemented by other examinations. It was demonstrated that the factors which are concomitant and stimulate the development of biliary stones in seamen and fishermen were obesity and alcoholism. No role of hyperlipidemia and the type of diet in the formation of biliary stones was confirmed. In the group of 36 patients, the indications for the surgical treatment were complications of choletithiasis, i.e. biliary duct stones, mechanical jaundice, acute hydrops or empyema of the gallbladder. They resulted in temporary unfitness for work at sea. Asymptomatic cholelithiasis in seamen and fishermen does not result in unfitness for work at sea and is not an indication for surgical treatment.

Adult↗

Hormonal therapy and cholelithiasis.

This report is to alert the abdominal surgeon to a new factor responsible for a rising incidence of cholelithiasis in the younger woman. The cause of cholelithiasis has been explained on the basis of biochemical changes with mechanical obstruction. The role of estrogen-progesterone elevation in pregnancy with associated hypercholesteremia is well-known. Little known are reports (more common in non-American literature) that female hormones effect a sluggishness of gallbladder function. Thus, a chemical change with a functional type of obstruction in the biliary tree predisposes toward cholelithiasis. A survey of 1346 cholecystic operations from 1969 through 1973 showed the expected greater incidence in women. Women under 40 years of age who received hormonal medication were younger when operated upon than a comparable group not receiving hormonal therapy. The incidence of gallbladder disease in young women using hormonal therapy should be expected to increase in the coming years. Cholelithiasis should be suspected in the young female taking birth control medication. X-ray study is indicated and early surgery is desirable to prevent morbidity, mortality and the complications of cholecystic disease.

Adult↗

[Alpha-L-fucosidase activity in patients with ductal cholelithiasis].

Alpha-L-fucosidase (ALF), AST, ALT and GGT activities were measured in blood serum of 36 patients with recurrent cholelithiasis (group I), 32 patients with ductal and/or bladder cholelithiasis (group II), 24 patients with focal changes in the liver (group III) and in 22 patients without disturbances of gastrointestinal tract (control group). A statistically significant increase in ALF activity was found in the patients with recurrent cholelithiasis as compared to the control group (p < 0.001), the patients of group II (p < 0.001) and the patients of group III (p < 0.05). The AST and ALT activities were higher both in group I and in group II than in the control group (p < 0.001 and p < 0.02 for group I and group II, respectively), whereas the mean GGT activity was significantly higher in all three patients groups as compared to the control group (p < 0.001 in all cases). On the basis of the observed differences in the activities of the enzymes studied it was postulated that the determination od ALF activity in blood serum of patients with cholelithiasis may provide the means for early diagnosis of the predisposition to recurrent stones.

Adult↗

[Gallbladder kinetics in the black African subject with and without cholelithiasis. An ultrasonographic study].

PURPOSE: Gallbladder hypomotility could play a significant role in the process of lithogenesis, but this role has yet to be defined in black African populations. This role was assessed by measuring gallbladder emptying after stimulation by a fat meal in a group of black African subjects with and without cholelithiasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifteen subjects with cholelithiasis and thirty controls divided in two pools were studied. Gallbladder emptying was stimulated by fat meals of 610 and 740 Kcal, and was measured with ultrasound for a period of 120 min. RESULTS: The mean fasting gallbladder Volume of the subjects with lithiasis was significantly superior to that of the controls. Compared to what has been previously published in Caucasian subjects, gallbladder emptying was generally more rapid in our study. Further more, gallbladder emptying was significantly better in the control group than in the group of subjects with cholelithiasis. Two groups of subjects with cholelithiasis were isolated. The first group had poor gallbladder emptying and normal fasting gallbladder Volume; the second had normal gallbladder emptying but significantly increased fasting gallbladder Volume. CONCLUSION: Impaired gallbladder emptying and/or increased fasting gallbladder Volume probably play a role in lithogenesis. Hypomotility seems to play a significant role only for those subjects with normal fasting gallbladder Volume.

Adult↗

Cholesterol cholelithiasis in adolescent females: its connection with obestiy, parity, and oral contraceptive use--a retrospective study of 31 cases.

Thirty-one adolescent females, aged 14 to 20 years, underwent cholecystectomy for pathologically documented cholesterol gallstones. A retrospective study, using the Mantel-Haenzel method of statistical analysis, showed a strong association between cholesterol cholelithiasis and obesity and parity. The patients with gallstones had a higher rate of oral contraceptive use, which just failed to attain statistical significance. These findings indicate that adolescent cholelithiasis is largely preventable. Dietary obesity can be controlled by balanced diets and physical exercise. Early pregnancy should be discourgaed, espeically if there is a strong family history of cholelithiasis and if weight control is unsuccessful. Oral contraceptives should be used cautiously in the presence of other predisposing factors.

Adolescent↗

Ultrastructural aspects of human cystic duct epithelium as a result of cholelithiasis and cholesterolosis.

Although there is a large body of data on the gallbladder and the importance of the cystic duct in surgical procedures, there is insufficient data regarding the morphology of the human cystic duct. In the present study, transmission electron microscopic (TEM) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) survey of several surgical and autopsy cystic ducts in cholelithiasis and cholesterolosis is reported. In cholelithiasis, similar to gallbladder epithelium, the cystic duct epithelial cells display minor-to-severe alterations of the epithelial surface accompanied by variable erosion of the epithelium. Areas of intact surface epithelium demonstrate microvilli-covered cells coated by a rich glycocalyx and mucous production. In other areas, apical excrescences are associated with mucus hyperproduction and secretory events. Lipoid bodies are also present in many cells and especially in many of the cells' subliminal apical areas. In cholesterolosis, mucous secretory granules appear dilated, fatty deposits are infrequent, and peculiar intracellular cholesterol deposits can be detected in the apical and subapical region of cells and around condensed mitochondria. Following elective cholecystectomies, predominantly in association with cholelithiasis, eroded areas were detected; therefore, it appears that the action of intraluminal calculi may be a principal causative factor in discrete epithelial erosions of the cystic duct. Intraluminal calculi/ debris, along with the alteration of mucus, cell sloughing, and a decreased pool of bile acids and motility may participate in the gallstone nucleation process. The peculiar cholesterol inclusions may also play a role in that nucleating process.

Adult↗

Animal models of calcium cholelithiasis.

Bile contains four calcium anions which are readily precipitated by calcium: bilirubinate, "palmitate", carbonate and phosphate. Precipitation of insoluble calcium salts is common in calculous biliary disease. All animal models of calcium cholelithiasis probably share a common pathogenesis--an increased concentration of a calcium-sensitive anion. In calcium bilirubinate cholelithiasis, an increased concentration of bilirubinate occurs. In mice, this occurs in animals having a genetic hemolytic anemia; in rats, it may be induced by an essential fatty acid in combination with diet modification; in dogs, by a low-taurine, low-protein diet; and in prairie dogs, by ileal resection which probably increases the bilirubinate/bile acid ratio in bile. In the two models of calcium-bile acid cholelithiasis, an increased biliary concentration of a calcium-sensitive glycine conjugated bile acid is induced by administration of a suitable precursor. In the rabbit, gallstones composed mostly of calcium allodeoxycholyl glycine are induced by the feeding of 5 beta-cholestan-3 beta-ol. In the taurine-deficient rat, the feeding of lithocholate leads to formation of gallstones which contain a mixture of calcium lithocholyl glycine and 3 alpha, 6 beta-dihydroxy cholanoyl glycine. These animal models may be of value in testing agents designed to lower calcium activity in bile.

Animals↗

Infant cholelithiasis: report of a case.

Cholelithiasis is an extremely unusual finding in infancy. The following article describes the case of a 2-month-old male with a VACTER association who presented with persistent and progressive obstructive jaundice and acholic stool due to cholelithiasis. Thirty cases under the age of 1, including our case, have previously been reported in the Japanese literature. Twenty-eight cases had predisposing factors. The calculi were present only in the gallbladder in 18 cases, in the common bile duct or cystic duct or both in 7 cases, and in the gallbladder and common bile duct in 3 cases. Ten cases of stones were radiopaque, which thus made the plain abdominal roentgenogram findings very valuable. Nine cases underwent operation including cholecystectomy in 3 cases, choledocholithotomy in 3 cases, and cholecystolithotomy in 1 case, while the procedure was unknown in 2 cases. Recently, the number of reported cases of cholelithiasis in infants has gradually increased and today these cases are most often diagnosed by ultrasonography, because the examination is easy to perform and not invasive.

Cholelithiasis↗

Cirrhosis of the liver. A risk factor for development of cholelithiasis in males.

An ultrasonographic study about the prevalence of cholelithiasis was performed in 410 cirrhotic patients and in 414 controls matched for age and sex. Gallstone disease was found more often in cirrhotic patients (31.9%) than in controls (20.7%) (P less than 0.001). The female-to-male ratio of gallstones prevalence in cirrhotic patients approached to 1:1. Gallstone disease in cirrhotic patients vs controls was significantly higher (30.2% vs 16.5%) (P less than 0.001) in males only. No difference was found, for gallstone disease prevalence in cirrhosis of different etiology. The prevalence of cholelithiasis increased from Child's A to Child's C with a significant trend (P less than 0.001); this difference was significant in males (12.3% vs 40.5%) (P less than 0.001) but not in females. This study shows that cirrhosis represents a risk factor for the development of cholelithiasis in males. We suggest that high levels of estrogens could play a role in these patients, by an impairment of gallbladder emptying similar to that observed in pregnant women.

Adult↗

Surgical complications of Chagas' disease: megaesophagus, achalasia of the pylorus, and cholelithiasis.

Three surgical complications of Chagas' disease--megaesophagus, achalasia of the pylorus, and cholelithiasis--were evaluated within the framework of the experience acquired in the management of 840 cases of megaesophagus--722 in the nonadvanced stage of the disease and 118 with advanced disease (dolichomegaesophagus). In the group of the 722 patients with nonadvanced disease, achalasia of the pylorus was present in 140 (19.4%), and in the total of 840 patients, uncomplicated cholelithiasis without chagasic involvement of the gallbladder and/or papilla was observed in 58 (6.9%). The 722 subjects with nonadvanced megaesophagus were submitted to wide esophagocardiomyectomy performed at the level of the anterior esophagogastric junction, combined with an antireflux valvuloplasty procedure. We recorded no mortality, and 95% excellent and good results in long-term follow-up. On the other hand, dolichomegaesophagus required esophageal resection with reconstruction by means of an esophagogastroplasty placed in the esophageal bed. The mortality rate was 4.2% (5/118); the main postoperative complications were pleural effusion (22%) and fistulas of the esophagogastric anastomosis (8.4%). Postoperatively, the patients adapted well to their new anatomy and gained weight. Achalasia of the pylorus was confirmed by delayed gastric emptying time. This entity was managed by concomitant antropyloromyectomy without mortality. Cholelithiasis was managed by cholecystectomy and radiologic exploration of the bile ducts.

Chagas Disease↗

Cholelithiasis in inflammatory bowel disease. A case-control study.

Cholelithiasis is considered an extraintestinal manifestation of Crohn's ileitis but has not been associated with ulcerative colitis. To evaluate if an increased risk of cholelithiasis exists in patients with ulcerative colitis, biliary ultrasonography was performed on 159 patients with inflammatory bowel disease, 114 patients with ulcerative colitis, and 45 patients with Crohn's disease. A control population of 2453 residents of the town near the authors' institute was also studied. An echographic survey of gallstones was performed on the control subjects, who participated in the Multicentrica Italiana Colelitiasi (MICOL). Seventeen patients with inflammatory bowel disease had gallstones (10.7 percent), 11 patients with ulcerative colitis had gallstones (9.6 percent), and 6 patients with Crohn's disease had gallstones (13.3 percent). In the control population, diagnosis of cholelithiasis was made in 239 subjects (9.7 percent). An estimate of the relative risk (odds ratio) of gallstones in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease and also in 4 subgroups formed on the basis of the extent of disease (total ulcerative colitis, partial ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease with ileitis, Crohn's disease without ileitis) with respect to the general population was calculated using logistic regression with gallstones, sex, age, and body mass index as independent variables and inflammatory bowel disease as a dependent variable. The author's findings show an increased risk of gallstones in both patients with Crohn's disease (odds ratio = 3.6; 95 percent confidence limits = 1.2 - 10.4; P = 0.02) and patients with ulcerative colitis (odds ratio = 2.5; 95 percent confidence limits = 1.2 - 5.2; P = 0.01). The risk was highest in patients with Crohn's disease involving the distal ileum (odds ratio = 4.5; 95 percent confidence limits = 1.5 - 14.1; P = 0.009) and in patients with total ulcerative colitis extending to the cecum (odds ratio = 3.3; 95 percent confidence limits = 1.3 - 8.6; P = 0.01). These results confirm that there is an increased risk of gallstones in Crohn's ileitis but they show that there also exists an increased risk in patients with total ulcerative colitis.

Adult↗

The bacteriology of cholelithiasis--China versus Japan.

Cholelithiasis differs considerably from area to area in the world. Calcium bilirubinate stones or brown pigment stones are said to predominate in the Orient, however, this situation may differ within the Orient. In order to compare cases in China and Japan, 102 consecutive cases of cholelithiasis operated on in Shenyang, China were analyzed for the composition of gallstones and bacterial species isolated from bile in relation to the location and composition of gallstones. In Shenyang, calcium bilirubinate stones predominated, occurring in 49.0 per cent of the cholelithiasis cases. This was much higher than in Japan, which had 17.5 per cent. The incidence of bacteria was also very high, ranging from 20 to 96 per cent, with an average of 66.7 per cent depending on the kind of gallstone present. Bacterial species possessing beta-glucuronidase activity were present in nearly all the cases of calcium bilirubinate stones (92.0 per cent). The incidence of bacteria with beta-glucuronidase activity especially of E. coli was much higher than in Japan (50.8 per cent versus 21.8 per cent) in concordance with the higher incidence of calcium bilirubinate stones in China (49.0 versus 17.5 per cent).

Bile↗

Effect of castration and hormonal supplementation on cholesterol cholelithiasis in the male hamster.

This study examined the effect of castration and dietary hormonal supplementation on cholesterol cholelithiasis in male hamsters. Animals fed a standard lithogenic diet developed cholesterol gallstones (17%) after 6 wk, while castrated hamsters did not form any stones. Addition of a synthetic androgen, methyltestosterone, to the lithogenic diet induced cholelithiasis in castrated animals (50%). The biles of normal and castrated-hormone supplemented hamsters had cholesterol saturation indices of 1.0 and 1.1, respectively, while the bile of the castrated animals remained unsaturated (0.6). The ratio of cholic acid/chenodeoxycholic acid in bile increased after castration, but returned to normal levels following hormonal supplementation. Biliary cholesterol carriers were separated by ultracentrifugation. Animals in the stone-forming groups (normal and castrated-hormone treated) had a significant proportion of their biliary cholesterol in vesicles (44 and 46%, respectively); castrated hamsters had less cholesterol in vesicle form (9%). The molar ratio of cholesterol/phospholipid in vesicles was reduced after castration (0.93 vs. 0.42) and increased by hormonal supplementation (1.89). In conclusion, when compared to normal male hamsters fed a standard lithogenic diet, castration reduced the cholesterol saturation of bile, lowered the vesicular/micellar ratio in bile, and inhibited cholesterol cholelithiasis. Dietary androgen supplementation increased the lithogenicity of bile, resulting in stone formation in castrated animals.

Animals↗

Surgical treatment of cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis in a 2-month-old premature and low birth weight infant.

Detection rates of cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis in infants and children have increased since the introduction of ultrasonography, and surgical treatment is gradually tending to increase. However, for cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis, controversies over etiology, diagnostic means, operation time, and operating method remain. Using ultrasonogram and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), we diagnosed cholelithiasis and choledocholithiasis in a premature and low birth weight infant who was admitted to the hospital with complaints of obstructive jaundice and alcoholic feces. We report the successful treatment of this infant by cholecystectomy and T-tube drainage.

Cholecystectomy↗

Laparoscopy for appendicitis and cholelithiasis during pregnancy: a new standard of care.

BACKGROUND: Subsequent to a report from the authors' institution, the laparoscopic management of symptomatic cholelithiasis and appendicitis during pregnancy has become the standard of care at LDS Hospital using institutional guidelines. For comparison with previous outcomes described by the authors, 59 additional laparoscopic cases are reported. METHODS: Medical records of all pregnant patients at LDS Hospital who underwent open or laparoscopic cholecystectomy or appendectomy between 1998 and 2002 were reviewed. The outcomes were compared with the authors' previous data. RESULTS: The laparoscopic management of symptomatic cholelithiasis and appendicitis during pregnancy increased from 54% to 97%. No significant differences in preterm delivery rates, birth weights, or 5-min Apgar scores were found between the two periods. No birth defects or uterine injuries occurred. CONCLUSIONS: With the use of the authors' guidelines, laparoscopy has become the standard of care for managing symptomatic cholelithiasis and appendicitis during pregnancy at LDS Hospital without significant increase in morbidity or mortality.

Adult↗

Role of ultrasonography in the primary diagnosis of cholelithiasis: an analysis of fifty cases.

The use of ultrasonography to diagnose cholelithiasis has recently been recommended to supplement standard reinforced oral cholecystography or as an alternative to reinforced oral studies when a single dose fails to visualize the gallbladder. As yet the use of ultrasonography in the primary diagnosis of cholelithiasis is not generally accepted. To assess the specificity and sensitivity of this mode of diagnosis, fifty patients were reviewed retrospectively. The findings of ultrasonography are compared with standard oral cholecystography and with the pathologic findings. The results of this analysis suggest that diagnosis of cholelithiasis by ultrasonography has a high level of accuracy. Use of this mode of evaluating the gallbladder is suggested as a primary diagnostic test for jaundiced or pregnant patients.

Adult↗

Screening for cholelithiasis prior to aortic reconstruction.

A study was undertaken to determine the value of preoperative oral cholecystography and the incidence and complications of cholelithiasis in patients undergoing aortic reconstruction. Over an 11-year period, 785 patients underwent aortic reconstruction. Forty-seven had a previous cholecystectomy; of the 738 remaining patients, 394 underwent preoperative operative oral cholecystography to screen for cholelithiasis. Seventy-three (18 percent) were found to have gallbladder disease. Thirteen had symptoms attributed to cholelithiasis and underwent cholecystectomy with aortic reconstruction. Three hundred eighty-one were left with the gallbladder after aortic reconstruction, 60 in whom disease was identified and 321 with normal oral cholecystography results. Three patients developed cholecystitis in the postoperative period, one in the diseased group and two with normal gallbladders. The incidence of postoperative cholecystitis was 0.8 percent (3 patients). Preoperative oral cholecystography is of little value as a screening tool. Cholecystectomy during aortic reconstruction is probably safe and the risk of postoperative cholecystitis in the asymptomatic patient is negligible.

Aorta↗

Aspirin does not inhibit cholesterol cholelithiasis in two established animal models.

The effect of aspirin on cholesterol cholelithiasis was examined in the hamster and the prairie dog. In the prairie dog, diets were composed of semipurified components of chow, plus cholesterol (1.2%), with and without aspirin. Animals were studied for either 2 weeks or 4 weeks. Cholesterol gallstones were present in all groups at the end of each period; aspirin did not alter the incidence of cholelithiasis. All animals studied had cholesterol crystals in the bile when they were killed. Liver cholesterol levels in prairie dogs with and without aspirin tended to be lower in animals fed chow than in animals fed semipurified diets. There were no significant differences in cholesterol levels in the plasma or bile. The cholesterol saturation index of all biles approached unity when animals were fed chow with aspirin; animals fed the semipurified diets had cholesterol saturation indices of less than 1.0. The prairie dogs fed aspirin plus cholesterol in the semipurified diet showed increased levels of biliary chenodeoxycholic acid amidates and concomitant decreased levels of cholic acid amidates compared with animals fed the same diet without aspirin. Hamsters fed aspirin plus cholesterol in a semipurified diet tended to have a greater incidence of gallstones than animals given no aspirin (80% vs. 55%). Liver and bile cholesterol levels were similar with and without aspirin; plasma cholesterol levels increased significantly with aspirin [14.20 vs. 7.80 mmol/L (549 vs. 301 mg/dL)]. Lithogenic indices in all hamsters were above unity; biliary lipids, total lipid concentration, and biliary bile acid composition were similar. These results show that the addition of aspirin to a lithogenic diet does not reduce the incidence of cholelithiasis.

Animals↗