ULTRASOUND STUDY OF GALLBLADDER MOTILITY IN HEALTHY-SUBJECTS - REPRODUCTIBILITY OF THE METHOD AND EFFECT OF ALCOHOL

The protective effect of alcohol against cholesterol cholelithiasis ha s been established in several epidemiologic studies. An impairment of gallbladder motility in gallstone disease has been demonstrated in ani mals and in man. At a daily dose of 39 g, alcohol reduces the lithogen ic index of bile, but its effect on gallbladder motility is still deba ted. To test this potential mechanism, the effect of 20 g of alcohol o n gallbladder motility was studied, using an ultrasonographic ellipsoi d method in 16 healthy male subjects. The stimulus for gallbladder con traction was a Lundh test meal. Using a cross over method, this meal w as ingested by each subject once with water and once with alcohol. A t hird set of measurements was taken in each subject after ingestion of a Lundh meal and water to test the reproductibility of the sonographic method. The gallbladder kinetics were studied for 90 minutes followin g ingestion of the test meal and beverage. Alcohol stimulated rapid po st prandial gallbladder emptying, and accelerated gallbladder filling. This second action could result from sphincter of Oddi pressure enhan cement and, perhaps, decrease of gallbladder absorption by Na+ K+ ATPa se inhibition. The reproductibility of the method was good. With a dec rease of lithogenic bile index, the protective effect of alcohol again st biliary cholesterol cholelithiasis could be due either to stimulati on of gallbladder emptying and/or acceleration of gallbladder filling.