RESUMEN
To determine the relationships between age, sex, and the presence of gallstones with the anatomic distribution and frequency of epithelial pathologic changes. A clinicopathological study of non-selected, consecutively received cholecystectomy specimens. The study was conducted at AL-Zahrawi Teaching Hospital in the Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Mosul, during the period from November 1, 2000 to September 30, 2001. 130 cholecystectomy specimens were examined for the presence or absence of epithelial pathological changes consisting of hyperplasia, metaplasia, and dysplasia. The histological sections in which metaplasia was found were stained with periodic acid - schiff -alcian blue at pH of 2.5. Sections in which dysplasia was found were immunohistochemically stained for carcinoembryonic antigen [CEA]. 85% of patients were females and 15% were males, a male: female ratio of 1:5.5. The peak distribution of age was in the 5[th] decade for both males and females. Epithelial lesions were found in 55.3% of cases. Gastric metaplasia was found in 34.6%, intestinal metaplasia in 30%, hyperplasia in 26.2%, and dysplasia in 3%. The epithelial lesions increased in frequency with age, and more frequently found in females than males and occurred predominantly in the fundus. A significant association [P< 0.05] was found between intestinal metaplasia and epithelial dysplasia and between the presence of gall stones and epithelial lesions. These findings suggest that cholelithiasis and cholecystitis produce a series of epithelial pathological changes occurring primarily in the fundus that increase in frequency with advancing age