Review Article: Spectrum of Biliary Infections in the West and in the East

Biliary infections are an important cause of morbidity in the Western world. With regard to epidemiology, etiology, microbiological spectrum, prevalence, location and composition of gallstones, pathogenesis, clinical sign and therapy, there are large differences between the spectrum of biliary infections in the East and in the West (Table 1). In Western countries, gallstones are found in 10 to 40%. In Eastern countries, the incidence of gallstones is only 2 to 6%. Some eighty-five percent of the gallstones in the West are cholesterol stones, in contrast to the East, where 97% are bile pigment stones. The most important difference is characterized by the origin of common bile duct stones. In the West, common bile duct stones generally originate in the gallbladder, in contrast to the East, where primary common bile duct stones are often found--especially in the intrahepatic segments--with no evidence of gallbladder stones. The sex distribution male to female in the West is 1:2, in the East 1:1. In the West, biliary infections occur mainly in an elderly population, 50% being older than 70 years. In the East, biliary infections appear also in younger people, 50% being younger than 40 years. Parasites play an aetiological role in the East, but not in the West. The typical therapy of gallstones in the West is cholecystectomy, and of common bile duct stones endoscopic sphincterotomy. Due to the frequency of intrahepatic stones in Eastern Countries, the therapeutic spectrum there includes even large hepatic resections and biliary enteric anastomoses.