Gallbladder expansion induced by feeding.
By using ultrasound we were able to observe any increase in the size of human gallbladders during feeding. In 91 of 123 cases (74%), the gallbladder expanded for a short time prior to contraction during feeding. The examination on eight patients after gastrectomy and seven patients after a medically induced vagotomy revealed contraction only in response to feeding. In seven normal adults, 200 ml of air injected rapidly into stomach through a gastric tube was seen to induce gallbladder expansion. These results suggest that the gallbladder expands in response to feeding via a cholinergic vago-vagal reflex.
Ikeda
S
S
Department of Pediatric Surgery, Kumamoto University Medical School, Japan.
Sera
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000502:physiology*; D005743:Gastrectomy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008875:Middle Aged; D012018:Reflex; D014463:Ultrasonography; D014628:Vagotomy; D014630:Vagus Nerve / Q000502:physiology