E. Trondsen et al., AN EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY AN EFFECTS OF OCCLUSION OF THE CYSTIC DUCT IN MICE WITH OR WITHOUT EMPTYING OF THE GALLBLADDER, European surgical research, 29(2), 1997, pp. 150-158
To study consequences of cystic duct occlusion, 121 NMRI mice were ope
rated: 40 had cystic duct ligature (L group), 41 had cystic duct ligat
ure and evacuation of bile from the gallbladder (LE group), and 40 wer
e sham-operated (S group), Ten mice from each group were sacrificed at
1 week, 1, 3 and 6 months, respectively. All but 2 mice showed signs
of wellbeing during the observation time, and weight gain was the same
in the three groups. Distended gallbladder occurred in 14 animals, 7
each in the L and the LE group, more frequent after 3 and 6 months. In
the remainder mice the gallbladders were smaller than at the time of
operation (p < 0.0001). Fibrosis and adhesions around the gallbladder
were frequent in the L and the LE groups, and more pronounced in the l
atter (p = 0.0001). At microscopy there were signs of inflammation in
the gallbladder wall in 16 cases in the L group, 28 In the LE group an
d 2 in the S group, and the degree of inflammation was more pronounced
in the LE group than in the L group (p = 0.002). Eleven mice in the L
E group had empyema, and slight intralumininal inflammation was more f
requent in the LE group than in the L group (p < 0.0001). In conclusio
n, despite a high incidence of microscopic inflammation the Study gave
no indication that occlusion of the cystic duct did serious harm to t
he mice in this series.