PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - O Sandstad
AU  - T Osnes
AU  - V Skar
AU  - P Urdal
AU  - M Osnes
TI  - Common bile duct stones are mainly brown and associated with duodenal diverticula.
AID  - 10.1136/gut.35.10.1464
DP  - 1994 Oct 01
TA  - Gut
PG  - 1464--1467
VI  - 35
IP  - 10
4099  - http://gut.bmj.com/content/35/10/1464.short
4100  - http://gut.bmj.com/content/35/10/1464.full
SO  - Gut1994 Oct 01; 35
AB  - This study investigated the composition of common duct gall stones from 61 patients, aged 49-94. The stones were collected endoscopically with a dormia basket after endoscopic papillotomy. The cholesterol content was measured both by infrared spectroscopy (mean 29%, range 0-99%) and enzymatically (mean 23%, range 0-96%). The results of the two measurements showed good correlation (r2 = 0.92), indicating that cholesterol can be adequately measured enzymatically. Most of the stones were pigment stones. When examined by infrared spectroscopy, 44 stones (72%) contained less than 50% cholesterol (mean 4%, range 0-23%). The bilirubinate content in these stones was 56%, range 12-100%. Forty two of these stones were brown stones, and only two were black stones. Pigment stones were associated with juxtapapillary diverticula (p < 0.01). It was found that brown pigment stones were the commonest symptomatic bile duct calculi in the patients studied, who are representative of a Western population.