Changes of bile dynamics and plasma levels of gastrointestinal hormone after cholecystectomy

Objective To research the changes of bile dynamics and plasma levels of cholecystokinin (CCK) and vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) in post-cholecystectomy patients. Methods Twenty-nine post-cholecystectomy patients were selected as observation group, including 14 patients combined with bile duct dilatation and 15 without bile duct dilatation. Another 17 healthy subjects were enrolled as the control group. They were assessed with quantitative 99mTc-EHIDA hepatobiliary scintigraphy to determine bile dynamics. Plasma levels of CCK and VIP were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Scintigraphic analysis demonstrated that the time to maximum counts and half excretion of liver were no significantly different among the three groups (all P>0.05). The developing time of common hepatic duct, time of maximum counts of common bile duct, half excretion of common bile duct, developing time of duodenum, hepatic portal and duodenum transit time significantly increased in the bile duct dilatation group compared with those of the control group (all P 0.05), while postprandial plasma levels of CCK and VIP were significantly higher in the bile duct dilatation group compared to those in the other two groups (P<0.05). Conclusion After cholecystectomy, the flow and velocity of bile in bile duct and intestine increases during the interdigestive period for patients without bile duct dilatation, while for patients with bile duct dilatation, bile remains in common bile duct and is blocked from intestine, with gastrointestinal hormone regulation disorder. Key words: Cholecystectomy; Bile dynamics; Hepatobiliary scintigraphy; Cholecystokinin; Vasoactive intestinal peptide