Paradoxical response to cerulein on sphincter of Oddi in the patient with gastrectomy.

Sphincter of Oddi motility was measured in 55 gallstone patients either through the sinus tract of percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage or through the T tube. The influence of cholecystectomy and gastrectomy on the sphincter of Oddi was analyzed by comparing responses in patients with or without surgery to the administration of cerulein and the ingestion of dry egg yolk. When comparing cholecystectomized patients to nonsurgical subjects, cholecystectomy revealed no influence on the response to cerulein and feeding. Both groups showed relaxation of contraction waves after provocations. On the other hand, two thirds of the postgastrectomy patients showed an acceleration in the contractions of the sphincter of Oddi after provocations (one third showed no change), while all of the nongastrectomy group saw the disappearance of the wave after cerulein administration and 83% revealed complete suppression of the wave after feeding. It is suspected that this paradoxical response to CCK on the sphincter of Oddi is a lithogenic factor after gastrectomy.