Validity of the correlation of gallstones and pancreatic pathology

Abstract

SUMMARY In a necropsy survey of 724 patients from the Hebrew University Hospital 107 patients were found with gallstones. Ninety-five patients matched according to age and sex served as controls.No difference was found between control and gallstone patients with regard to the incidence and type of pancreatic pathology, except forintestinal metaplasia which was more frequent in the controls.Significantly more pancreatic pathology was found in Ashkenazi-born patients without gallstones than in the respective non-Ashkenazi group. In patients with gallstones no difference in pancreatic pathology was found between the two ethnic groups.Females with gallstones had significantly more hepatic disease than females without gallstones. This difference was not found in males.Hepatic disease alone was associated with a higher incidence of pancreatic pathology.

What is the significance of pancreatic ductal mucinous hyperplasia?

“…No cause for this ductal mucinous hyperplasia was identified. The failure to detect an association between ductal mucinous hyperplasia and a history of alcoholism or the presence of gall stones may be because these conditions damage the pancreas in only a small proportion of cases.25 26 Ductal mucinous hyperplasia has previously been found in association with chronic pancreatitis.16 These findings suggest that ductal mucinous hyperplasia is not stimulated primarily by excess alcohol consumption or by the presence of gall stones but is a secondary Fig. 9 Amount ofductal mucinous hyperplasia seen in patients with and without cancer by history ofsteroid intake.…”