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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America logoLink to Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
. 1970 Sep;67(1):400–407. doi: 10.1073/pnas.67.1.400

A Model for Gallbladder Function and Cholesterol Gallstone Formation*

E L Cussler 1, D Fennell Evans †, Ralph G DePalma ‡
PMCID: PMC283218  PMID: 5272322

Abstract

An analysis of fluid mechanics and diffusion in the gallbladder predicts that there is a thin layer of high bile-constituent concentration near the gallbladder wall. Cholesterol may precipitate in this layer, even when the average cholesterol concentration in the gallbladder is below saturation. The amount precipitated increases with time, with increased average cholesterol concentration, and with decreased average lecithin concentration. If the gallbladder does not empty completely, the precipitated cholesterol particles may grow over many cycles of gall bladder filling and emptying. The analysis explains why cholesterol-gallstone formation is not correlated with bile-constituent concentration alone, why a flaccid, noncontractile, gallbladder has a greater chance of forming gallstones, why small stones are frequently found near the gallbladder wall, and why stones may be found in only one limb of a double gallbladder.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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