Gallstones and previous cholecystectomy in 77- to 78-year-old women in an urban population in Sweden.

A randomly selected sample of 120 women, born in 1906-1907 and living in the city of Gothenburg, were invited to an ultrasound examination for gallstone disease. One hundred and nine subjects participated in the study, and among these, 24% gave a history of a previous cholecystectomy, 27% had gallstones, and 49% had no stones in the gallbladder. Among the women with stones in the gallbladder only 35% had associated symptoms. The design of the study enabled a comparison among women with no stones in the gallbladder, with gallstones, and with a previous cholecystectomy. Women with gallstones, previous or present, had a higher body weight, body mass index, skinfold thickness, and serum triglyceride level than subjects without gallstones.