ABSTRACT
Objective To study the relationship between Clonorchis sinensis infestation and different types of gallbladder stones.Methods From May 2011 to September 2014, 1 052 cases of gallbladder stones were collected from the Department of General Surgery at The Sixth People's Hospital of Nansha, Guangzhou.These stones were first grinded for microscopic examination and divided into two groups based on the results of detection of Clonorchis sinensis eggs.They were then analyzed by FTIR spectroscopy to identify the type of gallbladder stones.Some stones were also chosen randomly for observation under scanning electron microscope (SEM).Results Clonorchis sinensis eggs were found in 300 stones and among these, the number and proportion of cholesterol, bile pigment, calcium carbonate, mixed and other types of stones were 28 (9.3％), 102 (34.0％), 102 (34.0％), 50 (16.7％), and 18 (6.0％), respectively.In the 752 egg-negative stones, the number and proportion of the above five types of stones were 414 (55.1％), 132 (17.6％), 66 (8.8％), 94 (12.5％), and 46 (6.1％), respectively.Observation under SEM showed a lot of tiny particles were absorbed on the mesh of the superficial texture of the Clonorchis sinensis eggs, which were also adherent to the bilirubin particles, calcium stearate crystals, phosphate, calcium stearate and protein particles.Conclusions The main types of egg-positive stones were bile pigment and calcium carbonate stones, while cholesterol stone was the main type of egg-negative stones.Clonorchis sinensis infestation was associated mainly with bile pigment and calcium carbonate stones.