Clinical and Experimental Evaluations of Bile Viscosity in the Gallbladder -Relation of the Viscosity and Starvation-

Yoshihisa Saida

Third Department of Surgery, Toho University School of Medicine

Concentration and high viscosity of the bile are important aspects in the pathology of postoperative acute acalculous cholecystitis. Therefore, at direct measurement and analysis of the bile viscosity was attempted. The viscosity levels of bile in the intact gallbladder of patients were measured in clinical cases. Starvation-induced changes in viscosity of the bile in the canine gallbladder were analyzed by using rheological procedures under conditions with or without gallbladder contraction and vagotomy. The bile viscosity of humans showed a non-Newtonian coefficient of viscosity of μ=2.63±0.68 and a viscosity index of n=0.98±0.001, and showed structural viscosity belonging to non-Newtonian liquid. In dogs, starvation caused a significant increase in viscosity which was reinforced by vagotomy, simple starvation without any treatment, and gallbladder contraction in that order. However, in view of the rheological characteristics, when the physiological shear rate was applied, the effects of stravation were markedly reduced and the significant increase in the bile viscosity due to vagotomy disappeared. From these findings, it is suggested that the bile is not subjected to excretory disorders physiologically due to concentration alone, and factors other than starvation and vagotomy are involved in the onset of postoperative acute acalculous cholecystitis.

Key words
bile-viscosity, gallbladder, acute acalculous cholecystitis rheology, starvation

Reprint requests
Yoshihisa Saida Third Department of Surgery, Toho University School of Medicine
2-17-6 Oohashi, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 153 JAPAN

Accepted
April 8, 1992

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