The Changes on the Duodenogastric Reflux after the Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy in Gallstone Patients

Kim, Taec Kyun; Kim, Kyung Sik; Kim, Choong Bai; Kim, Byong Ro

Abstract

Although the "Duodenogastric reflux" was often developed in normal persons, it was more frequently developed in the majority of patients who had a gallstone disease or malfunctioned gallbladder. The "duodenogastric reflux" induced chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer, and esophagitis causing upper abdominal symptoms. After the cholecystectomy was performed, most patients have no further symptoms but a significant minority of patients still have persistent symptoms. Such symptoms was often explained with the "duodenogastric reflux". We examined the degree of duodenogastric reflux in the patients with gallstones and the changes of the degree of the duodenogastric reflux after the laparoscopic cholecystectomy in these patients. The study population consisted of 9 patients with gallstone disease. The clinical symptoms (upper abdominal pain, bloating, early satiety, nausea, vomiting, heartburn, dysphagia, indigestion, fat intolerance) were graded and all subjects had standard esophageal manometry to identify the location of the lower esophgeal sphincter and the 24 hour gastric pH monitoring to ascertain the duodenogastric reflux at before and 3 months after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. On the results of our study, the severity of clinical symptoms was decreased after operation and the time percentage above pH 7, longest time above pH 7, frequency above pH 7 and frequency persistent 5 min above pH 7 in supine and upright position were not significantly different after operation at statistical analysis. It is revealed that the degree of duodenogastric reflux was not changed on 24 hour gastric pH monitoring. We concluded that laparoscopic cholecystectomy did not affect on the duodenogastric reflux in the patients of gall bladder stone.