Cholecystectomy in patients with normal gallbladder function did not altercharacteristics in duodenal motility which was not correlated to size of bile acid pool

Nine gallstone patients with normal gallbladder function as assessed by hep atobiliary scintigraphy were included. Pasting and postprandial duodenal mo tility were studied before and one month after an uncomplicated laparoscopi c cholecystectomy. An ambulatory continuous pressure recording was obtained from 5 PM to 8 AM with a sampling frequency of 4 Hz. At 6 PM, the patients received a 1400-kJ standard meal. The size of the bile acid pool after cho lecystectomy was measured according to the dilution principle using [C-14]c holic acid as the marker. Preoperatively the migrating motor complex (MMC) cycle was 0.48/hr (quartiles 0.42-0.68) compared to 0.68/hr (0.43-0.77) pos toperatively. This difference was not significant. An increase in the MMC c ycle frequency was observed postoperatively in three patients, and a decrea se was seen in four patients. The migration velocity was 5.61 cm/min (4.26- 8.01) preoperatively and 7.16 cm/min (4.79-9.71) postoperatively, a differe nce that was not significant. The time period from meal ingestion to appear ance of phase III was 297 min (218-431) at the preoperative examination and 443 min (192-494) at the postoperative examination. This difference was no t significant. The size of the bile acid pool after cholecystectomy was 3.6 8 mmol (2.69-8.47) and was not significantly correlated to the frequency of the MMC cycle or the time period from food ingestion to phase III activity . It is concluded that in gallstone patients with a normally functioning ga llbladder, cholecystectomy does not alter duodenal motility, which was not correlated to the size of the bile acid pool.