Gallbladder contraction in patients with asymptomatic cholelithiasis

There are many discrepancies between reports about gallbladder motility in gallstones disease. We studied gallbladder volume and contraction in 65 patients with asymptomatic gallstones and compared with 65 healthy controls by ultrasonography. The mass of the stones was less of the 25% of the gallbladder volume. We related stone size and number with its motor function. The results of the gallbladder contraction (GC) in the control group was 79.5% (DS = 9.5) and in the cholelithiasis group was 59.9% (DS = 19) with (p < 0.01). We found that the cholelithiasis group was heterogeneous and on closer inspection the patients fell into two subgroups separated by the inferior limit of normal GC (60%). The subgroup I (41 patients) had a fasting volume (FV) of 26.6 ml (DS = 14.1), a postprandial volume (PV) of 6.5 ml (DS = 3.8) and a GC of 75.3% (DS = 8.5). The subgroup II (24 patients) had a FV of 27.3 ml (DS = 20.3), a PV of 16.9 ml (DS = 15) and a GC of 40.5% (DS = 11.8). There was significant differences in PV and GC (p < 0.01). We concluded that defective gallbladder emptying is evident in a subgroup of patients but gallbladder contraction may be normal in patients with cholelithiasis and there are, not correlation between GC and the number and size of the stones.