[Contractile function of the gallbladder after gastrectomy].

Gallbladder contractile function was observed by B-mode ultrasonography on patients with radical gastrectomy for gastric carcinoma (20 cases), with subtotal gastrectomy for peptic ulcer (36 cases), and with highly selective vagotomy (7 cases). Thirty-one preoperative patients with peptic ulcer were used as control. It was found that within one month after radical or subtotal gastrectomy the average area and the volume of the gallbladder became much larger than that found in control group. The empty rate of the gallbladder was found decreased and the remainder bile increased. Early stage gallstones were found in two cases 11 and 13 months after gastrectomy. The inner diameter of the common bile duct was increased after radical gastrectomy. No definite relationship was found between gallbladder contractile disfunction and the mode of gastroenterostomy. It was also found that highly selective vagotomy had only slight influence on the biliary tract. These results suggest that gastrectomy has significant influence on the function of biliary tract and plays an important role in the formation of gallstones.