Evaluation of gallbladder function in patients with non-diabetic chronic renal failure by quantitative radionuclide cholescintigraphy.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We investigated quantitatively the motor function of the gallbladder in patients with non-diabetic chronic renal failure by the Tc-99m DISIDA cholescintigraphy.

METHODOLOGY

Twenty-four patients (13 males, 11 females; aged 62.0 +/- 16.2 years) with non-diabetic chronic renal failure were included in this study. All cases had normal gallbladder diagnosed by ultrasonography and normal liver function without symptoms or signs of cholecystitis. Fifteen normal controls (12 males, 3 females; aged 60.7 +/- 6.3 years) were also included for comparison. Gallbladder function was represented as the filling fraction and the ejection fraction calculated using quantitative Tc-99m DISIDA cholescintigraphy and was compared in the groups.

RESULTS

The results showed no significant difference (P > 0.05) between non-diabetic chronic renal failure and controls in filling fraction (64.3 +/- 31.0 vs. 74.9 +/- 9.5) and in ejection fraction (54.4 +/- 26.5 vs. 49.9 +/- 4.2) by the independent Student's t test.

CONCLUSIONS

Non-diabetic chronic renal failure seems not to impair gallbladder function although non-diabetic chronic renal failure patients had a tendency toward a decreased filling fraction. The high variability of filling fraction and ejection fraction observed in our patients implies that the determinants of gallbladder functions in non-diabetic chronic renal failure patients may be multiple in nature.