Effect of a synthetic prostaglandin E1 derivative, misoprostol, on fasted gallbladder volume and on meal-induced gallbladder emptying in man.

The effect of a single oral dose of 400 micrograms of misoprostol versus placebo on the fasted gallbladder volume and on meal-induced gallbladder emptying was assessed in 10 healthy subjects according to a double-blind study protocol. Gallbladder volumes were measured by means of real-time ultrasonography. The fasted gallbladder volume before drug administration was 18.9 +/- 1.1 cm3 on the placebo day, and 18.8 +/- 1.4 cm3 on the misoprostol day. No significant change in the gallbladder volume was observed 30 minutes after drug administration (18.3 +/- 1.3 cm3 placebo vs 20.2 +/- 1.8 cm3 misoprostol). The gallbladder volume 10 min after the test meal was significantly larger after misoprostol (16.9 +/- 1.7 cm3) than after placebo (12.8 +/- 1.6 cm3), p less than 0.02. However, the differences at subsequent time points (i.e. 20, 30, and 40 min after the test meal) proved to be insignificant. An insignificant effect of misoprostol on gallbladder emptying was revealed also by the analysis of the respective gallbladder ejection fractions. We conclude that misoprostol does not have any significant effect on fasted gallbladder volume or on meal-induced gallbladder emptying in humans.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes