Effect of gastrectomy on biliary dynamics.

A recent study of the physiology of flow through the sphincter of Oddi (Wyatt, 1967) indicated that amongst other factors gastric peristalsis was related to changes of resistance at the sphincter. This was especially notable when food was present in the stomach. Electrical stimuli leading to contraction of the gastric antrum often resulted in relaxation of the sphincter with increased flow through it. This relationship did not depend on extrinsic nervous connexions and was therefore supposed to depend on the continuity of smooth muscle of the stomach, duodenum, and sphincter of Oddi, or on the intrinsic nerve plexus of the bowel in this region. This raises the question as to what effect, if any, there is on bile flow when the stomach is disconnected from the duodenum as in a Polya type of gastrectomy. Further experiments are now reported which show that there are changes in biliary flow and pressure patterns after this type of operation.