RISK OF GALLSTONES FOLLOWING GASTRECTOMY IN JAPANESE MEN

The risk of gallstones developing after gastrectomy in middle-aged Jap anese men was investigated in a study of 2,738 men aged between 48 and 56 years who underwent both gallbladder ultrasonography (US) and a ba rium study of the upper digestive tract. It was revealed that 61 men h ad gallstones, 37 had had their gallbladder removed previously, and 55 had a history of gastrectomy. The prevalence of gallstones was 3.5 ti mes higher in the men who had previously undergone gastrectomy (7.7%) than in those who had not (2.2%) (P = 0.03). Moreover, gallstones tend ed to be more prevalent in those who had undergone Billroth II gastrec tomy (12.5%) compared with those who had undergone Billroth I gastrect omy (5.6%); however, the difference was not significant. These results indicate that gastrectomy using either Billroth I or Billroth IT reco nstruction predisposes to gallstone formation. Nevertheless, it was es timated that prior gastrectomy was responsible for no more than 5% of gallstones in the study population.