[Digestive changes in cholecystectomized patients].

Abstract

An important number of cholecystectomized patients after some years of complete well-being, begin complaining of symptoms such as periodic diarrhea or constipation, abdominal pain, regurgitation, vomiting, etc. The purpose of this study is to try to identify an alteration or lesion in the stomach or colon in cholecystectomized patients of more than five years standing, which may be causing the aforementioned condition. The forty patients under observation, free of biliary tract post-operative lesions, were subjected to: hemogram, amylasemia, either infusion cholangiograph or ERCP, fecal parasitological-tests, upper digestive and colon X Ray series, esophagus, stomach and duodenal endoscopy with biopsies. Additionally, ten underwent a colonoscopy which also included biopsy. The result of the radiological, amylasemia and hemogram studies was normal in all cases. The parasitological tests were negative. In every case, a moderate to severe superficial, chronic gastritis was found as well as minor histopathological alterations in the colon mucosa. The presence of bile in both duodenum and colon in interdigestive periods, alterations in the enterohepatic circulation as well as in the biliary composition itself, are suggested as the possible causes of the patients symptoms.