title: Gallbladder emptying to endogenous and exogenous stimulation in chronic pancreatitis patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The present study was designed to analyze the underlying mechanism of gallbladder motor disturbance in chronic pancreatitis patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Gallbladder emptying to endogenous (oral test meal, Daiyan 13 g) and exogenous stimulation (iv cerulein, 30 ng/kg for 5 min) was examined by real-time ultrasonography in 12 patients with chronic pancreatitis and 10 normal subjects (controls). Plasma cholecystokinin levels during the endogenous stimulation were measured by bioassay.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In chronic pancreatitis patients compared with controls, the fasting gallbladder volume was significantly increased (29.5 +/- 2.2 vs. 21.5 +/- 2.8 ml), whereas the gallbladder emptying (percent change of the basal volume) to oral test meal was significantly decreased. Neither cholecystokinin secretion induced by the test meal, nor the gallbladder emptying response to intravenous cerulein, differed significantly between the two groups. However, when chronic pancreatitis patients were divided according to pathogenesis, it became clear that gallbladder emptying to intravenous cerulein was significantly greater in patients with alcoholic chronic pancreatitis than in patients with idiopathic pancreatitis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gallbladder emptying during the intestinal phase is generally reduced in patients with chronic pancreatitis, but gallbladder responsiveness to exogenous stimulation might be heterogeneous according to the pathogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Miyagi, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Meguro
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimosegawa
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kashimura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koizumi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toyota
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002108:Ceruletide / Q000494:pharmacology; D002766:Cholecystokinin / Q000097:blood; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D016473:Gallbladder Emptying / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010195:Pancreatitis / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D002108:Ceruletide; D002766:Cholecystokinin