A new look at the multifactoral etiology of gallbladder disease in children.

The etiology of gallbladder disease in children is multifactoral. Seven of these factors are fairly well known: obstruction of biliary ductal system, hemolytic disease, estrogen effect, obesity, familial, metabolic, and stress related. Our biggest group of patients, 19 out of the total 61 or 31 per cent, were found to have had prior abdominal/renal surgery or partial bowel obstruction. It has been shown that ileal resections result in gallstones due to loss of bile salt absorption; however, volvulus and partial obstruction from adhesive bands have never been incriminated before. A number of teenagers appear to develop acalculous cholecystitis and have symptoms a good many months before stones develop. These patients who have delayed (greater than 36 hours) excretion of oral cholecystogram dye also have positive duodenal drainage studies after cholecystokinin. Gallbladder disease in children is not a rarity as surgical textbooks would lead one to believe.