Visceral Obesity If Associated with Gallbladder Polyps

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gallbladder polyps (GBP) are a common clinical finding and may possess malignant potential. We conducted this study to determine whether visceral obesity is a risk factor for GBP. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed records of subjects who received both ultrasonography and computed tomography with measurements of the areas of visceral adipose tissue and total adipose tissue (TAT) on the same day as health checkups. RESULTS: Ninety-three of 1,615 subjects (5.8%) had GBP and were compared with 186 age- and sex-matched controls. VAT (odds ratio [OR], 2.941; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.325 to 6.529; p=0.008 for the highest quartile vs the lowest quartile) and TAT (OR, 3.568; 95% CI, 1.625 to 7.833; p=0.002 for the highest quartile vs the lowest quartile) were independent risk factors together with hypertension (OR, 2.512; 95% CI, 1.381 to 4.569; p=0.003), diabetes mellitus (OR, 2.942; 95% CI, 1.061 to 8.158; p=0.038), hepatitis B virus positivity (OR, 3.548; 95% CI, 1.295 to 9.716; p=0.014), and a higher level of total cholesterol (OR, 2.232; 95% CI, 1.043 to 4.778; p=0.039 for or =240 mg/dL). Body mass index and waist circumference were not meaningful variables. CONCLUSIONS: Visceral obesity measured by VAT and TAT was associated with GBP irrespective of body mass index or waist circumference.

C-reactive protein in patients with gallbladder and biliary tract diseases.

C-reactive protein (CRP) assay is widely used as a clinical tool for the evaluation of bacterial infections. No study has been undertaken to evaluate the presence of CRP and/or the estimation of this protein in the bile of patients with diseases of the gallbladder (GB). In the present study, we estimated the quantity of CRP in bile (n=358) as well as serum samples (n=186) obtained from patients with GB and biliary tract diseases, using the semiquantitative Avitex CRP kit. Bacteriological study was also done on the bile samples. CRP was positive in the bile of 56 patients, (15.6%) many of who had bacteriobilia. CRP was also present in 49 of the serum samples studied (26.3%). Control serum samples did not show any CRP within detectable limits. Hitherto, this is the first report that investigated the level of CRP in the bile of patients with GB and biliary tract diseases, along with biliary bacterial profile.

Enfermedad vesicular: Diagnostico y tratamiento / Gallblader disease: Diagnosis and treatment

Se revisaron las historias clinicas de 153 pacientes operados en 1983 poe enfermedad vesicular; 61% eran mayores de 40 anos y las mujeres predominaron sobre los hombres en proporcion de 5:1. El sintoma y signo mas frecuente fue el dolor en el cuadrante superior derecho del abdomen. Hubo leucocitosis en 35% de los pacientes e ictericia en 15%. La colecistografia oral, solo, solo se practico a 50% de los enfermos y ecografia a 26.8%. Tenian colecistitis aguda, en sus difernetes formas de presentacion 45% de los pacienteas. A 3% se les extirpo la vesicula siendo normal. La colecistitis acalculosa aparecio en 9.2%. Los germenes mas comunmente aislados fueron Eschericha coli y Klebsiella pneumoniae. Tan solo se dejo un drenaje subhepatico en 5% de los casos. Hubo complicaciones post-operatorios en 13% y las mas frecuentes fueron: infeccion de la herida y litiasis desapercibida en el coledoco. La mortalidad fue 1.3%