Abstract
Biliary lithiasis is a common disease and is present in up to 20–30% of western populations. The prevalence increases with age, being <10% in populations under the age of 30 years and approximately 30% in those over the age of 60 [1]. This prevalence is similar in studies throughout Europe, including the UK. Owing to increasing life expectancy among patients throughout Europe, the prevalence of biliary lithiasis is also likely to increase. This review of the natural history of biliary lithiasis will deal with both choledocholithiasis (bile duct stones) and cholelithiasis (gallbladder stones).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Heaton KW, Braddon FE, Mountford RA et al (1991) Symptomatic and silent gall stones in the community. Gut 32:316–320
Johnson AG, Hosking SW (1987) Appraisal of the management of bile duct stones Br J Surg 74:555–560
Saharia PC, Zuidema GD, Cameron JL (1977) Primary common duct stones. Ann Surg 185:598–604
Kaufman HS, Magnuson TH, Lillemoe KD et al (1989) The role of bacteria in gallbladder and common duct stone formation. Ann Surg 209:584–591
Cetta F (1991) The role of bacteria in pigment gallstone disease. Ann Surg 213:315–326
Cetta FM (1986) Bile infection documented as initial event in the pathogenesis of brown pigment biliary stones. Hepatology 6:482–489
Denbesten L, Doty JE (1981) Pathogenesis and management of choledocholithiasis. Surg Clin North Am 61:893–907
Glenn F, Beil AR Jr (1964) Choledocholithiasis demonstrated at 586 operations. Surg Gynecol Obstet 118:499–506
Glenn F, McSherry CK (1975) Calculous biliary tract disease. In: Ravitch MM (ed) Current problems in surgery. Yearbook Publishers, Chicago. pp 1–38
Joyce WP, Keane R, Burke GJ et al (1991) Identification of bile duct stones in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Br J Surg 78:1174–1176
Madden JL, Vanderheyden L, Kandalaft S (1968) The nature and surgical significance of common duct stones. Surg Gynecol Obstet 126:3–8
Castelain M, Grimaldi C, Harris AG et al (1993) Relationship between cystic duct diameter and the presence of cholelithiasis. Dig Dis Sci 38:2220–2224
Taylor TV, Armstrong CP (1987) Migration of gall stones. Br Med J 294:1320–1322
Millbourn E (1941) Klinische Studien über die Choledochlithiasis. Acta Chir Scand 86 Suppl 65
Wenckert A, Robertson B (1966) The natural course of gallstone disease: eleven-year review of 781 nonoperated cases. Gastroenterology 50:376–381
Frossard JL, Hadengue A, Amouyal G et al (2000) Choledocholithiasis: a prospective study of spontaneous common bile duct stone migration. Gastrointest Endosc 51:175–177
United States National Institutes of Health (2002) State-of-the-science statement on endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) for diagnosis and therapy. NIH Consens State Sci Statements 19:1–26
Greiner L, Munks C, Heil W, Jakobeit C (1990) Gall bladder stone fragments in feces after biliary extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy. Gastroenterology 98:1620–1624
Oria A, Frider B, Alvarez J et al (1988) Biliary and pancreatic obstruction during gallstone migration. Int J Pancreatol 3:157–164
Festi D, Sottili S, Colecchia A et al (1999) Clinical manifestations of gallstone disease: evidence from the Multicenter Italian Study On Cholelithiasis (MICOL). Hepatology 30:839–846
Anciaux ML, Pelletier G, Attali P et al (1986) Prospective study of clinical and biochemical features of symptomatic choledocholithiasis. Dig Dis Sci 31:449–453
Katz D, Nikfarjam M, Sfakiotaki A Christophi C (2004) Selective endoscopic cholangiography for the detection of common bile duct stones in patients with cholelithiasis. Endoscopy 36:1045–1049
Shiozawa S, Tsuchiya A, Kim DH et al (2005) Useful predictive factors of common bile duct stones prior to laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallstones. Hepatogastroenterology 52:1662–1665
Alponat A, Kum CK, Rajnakova A et al (1997) Predictive factors for synchronous common bile duct stones in patients with cholelithiasis. Surg Endosc 11:928–932
Onken JE, Brazer SR, Eisen GM et al (1996) Predicting the presence of choledocholithiasis in patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis. Am J Gastroenterol 91:762–767
Rijna H, Borgstein PJ, Meuwissen SG et al (1995) Selective preoperative endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography in laparoscopic biliary surgery. Br J Surg 82:1130–1133
Barkun AN, Barkun JS, Fried GM et al (1994) Useful predictors of bile duct stones in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. McGill Gallstone Treatment Group. Ann Surg 220:32–39
Hauer-Jensen M, Karesen R, Nygaard K et al (1986) Consequences of routine peroperative cholangiography during cholecystectomy for gallstone disease: a prospective, randomized study. World J Surg 10:996–1002
Thurston OG, McDougall RM (1976) The effect of hepatic bile on retained common duct stones. Surg Gynecol Obstet 143:625–627
Acosta JM, Ledesma CL (1974) Gallstone migration as a cause of acute pancreatitis. N Engl J Med 290:484–487
Acosta MJ, Rossi R, Ledesma CL (1977) The usefulness of stool screening for diagnosing cholelithiasis in acute pancreatitis. A description of the technique. Am J Dig Dis 22:168–172
Kelly TR (1976) Gallstone pancreatitis: pathophysiology. Surgery 80:488–492
Crump C (1931) The incidence of gallstones and gallbladder disease. Surg Gynecol Obstet 53:447–457
Murison MS, Gartell PC, McGinn FP (1993) Does selective peroperative cholangiography result in missed common bile duct stones? J R Coll Surg Edinb 38:220–224
Caddy GR, Kirby J, Kirk SJ et al (2005) Natural history of asymptomatic bile duct stones at time of cholecystectomy. Ulster Med J 74:108–112
Collins C, Maguire D, Ireland A et al (2004) A prospective study of common bile duct calculi in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy: natural history of choledocholithiasis revisited. Ann Surg 239:28–33
O’Donovan AN, O’Sullivan G, Ireland A et al (1997) Prospective trial of the role of fine bore intubation of the cystic duct at the time of operative cholangiography. J Am Coll Surg 184:262–264
Wilson TG, Jeans PL, Anthony A et al (1993) Laparoscopic cholecystectomy and management of choledocholithiasis. Aust N Z J Surg 63:443–450
Jolly PC, Baker JW, Schmidt HM et al (1968) Operative cholangiography: a case for its routine use. Ann Surg 168:551–565
Pagana TJ, Stahlgren LH (1980) Indications and accuracy of operative cholangiography. Arch Surg 115:1214–1215
Faris I, Thomson JP, Grundy DJ, Le Quesne LP (1975) Operative cholangiography: a reappraisal based on a review of 400 cholangiograms. Br J Surg 62:966–972
Adams JD, Haisten AS (1972) Operative cholangiography-its value in the unsuspected choledochal stone. Surg Clin North Am 52:333–340
Metcalfe MS, Ong T, Bruening MH et al (2004) Is laparoscopic intraoperative cholangiogram a matter of routine? Am J Surg 187:475–481
United States National Institutes Of Health (1992) Gallstones and laparoscopic cholecystectomy. NIH Consens Statement 10:1–28
Moynihan BG (1908) An address on inaugural symptoms. Br Med J 2:1597–1601
Mayo WJ (1911) “Innocent” gallstones a myth. JAMA 56:1021–1024
Comfort MW, Gray HK, Wilson JM (1948) The silent gallstone: a ten to twenty year follow-up study of 112 cases. Ann Surg 128:931–937
Gracie WA, Ransohoff DF (1982) The natural history of silent gallstones: the innocent gallstone is not a myth. N Engl J Med 307:798–800
Friedman GD, Raviola CA, Fireman B (1989) Prognosis of gallstones with mild or no symptoms: 25 years of follow-up in a health maintenance organization. J Clin Epidemiol 42:127–136
Lund J (1960) Surgical indications in cholelithiasis: prophylactic cholecystectomy elucidated on the basis of long-term follow up on 526 nonoperated cases. Ann Surg 151:153–162
Newman HF, Northup JD, Rosenblum M, Abrams H (1968) Complications of cholelithiasis. Am J Gastroenterol 50(6):476–496
McSherry CK, Ferstenberg H, Calhoun WF et al (1985) The natural history of diagnosed gallstone disease in symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. Ann Surg 202:59–63
Ransohoff DF, Gracie WA (1993) Treatment of gallstones. Ann Intern Med 119:606–619
Attili AF, De Santis A, Capri R et al (1995) The natural history of gallstones: the Grepco experience. The Grepco Group. Hepatology 21:655–660
Gurusamy KS, Samraj K (2007) Cholecystectomy versus no cholecystectomy in patients with silent gallstones. Cochrane Database Syst Rev Cd006230
Zubler J, Markowski G, Yale S et al (1998) Natural history of asymptomatic gallstones in family practice office practices. Arch Fam Med 7:230–233
Thistle JL, Cleary PA, Lachin JM et al (1984) The natural history of cholelithiasis: the National Cooperative Gallstone Study. Ann Intern Med 101:171–175
Sakorafas GH, Milingos D, Peros G (2007) Asymptomatic cholelithiasis: is cholecystectomy really needed? a critical reappraisal 15 years after the introduction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Dig Dis Sci 52:1313–1325
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2008 Springer-Verlag Italia
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Caddy, G. (2008). Natural History of Biliary Lithiasis. In: Biliary Lithiasis. Springer, Milano. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-0763-5_5
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-88-470-0763-5_5
Publisher Name: Springer, Milano
Print ISBN: 978-88-470-0762-8
Online ISBN: 978-88-470-0763-5
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)