Human gall bladder mucus glycoprotein was isolated by Sepharose 4B gel filtration followed by caesium chloride density gradient ultracentrifugation from four groups: patients with cholesterol gall stones, patients with pigmented stones, patients with complete obstruction of the cystic duct and patients with no biliary tract abnormalities (controls). Mucus glycoprotein concentrations in choleste...

The dissolution of cholesterol gall stones is documented in two adults with cystic fibrosis. Improved care of patients with cystic fibrosis has meant that most survive into adult life. Consequently extrathoracic complications are assuming greater importance, especially those of the hepatobiliary system. These include progressive biliary cirrhosis (25%) leading to portal hypertension and oesopha...

Both experimental cholecystitis and luminal distension inhibit fluid absorption and stimulate motor activity in the gall bladder. These functional alterations are mimicked by exogenous prostaglandins (PGs) and inhibited by potent cyclooxygenase inhibitors, but direct evidence of a primary role of endogenous PGs is not available. Therefore, experiments in the cat were carried out in which the ef...

We report the clinicopathological findings of two patients with ectopic gastric mucosa within the gall ladder. The first patient, a 78 year old man, was asymptomatic. He was admitted to hospital for a colon adenocarcinoma. Intraoperatively, a firm nodule was palpable in the gall bladder. Histological examination of the resected specimen revealed a body type gastric mucosa in the submucosa, adja...

The main pancreatic duct and the common bile duct open into the second part of the duodenum alone or after joining as a common channel. A common channel of greater than 15 mm (an anomalous pancreaticobiliary duct) is associated with congenital cystic dilatation of the common bile duct and carcinoma of the gall bladder. Even a long common channel (greater than or equal to 8 mm) is associated wit...

A 40 year old man with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2b (MEN 2b) presented with cholecystitis caused by gall stones. Twenty four years earlier, he had had a partial thyroidectomy for a cold nodule. At his initial presentation MEN 2b with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid had not been made. This was diagnosed while investigating his gall bladder symptoms and he was found to have asymptomati...