AJP - Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology, Vol 241, Issue 5 376-G381, Copyright © 1981 by American Physiological Society
Mechanical properties of primate gallbladder: description by a dynamic method
D. J. Schoetz Jr, W. W. LaMorte, W. E. Wise, D. H. Birkett and L. F. Williams Jr
Biomechanical theory was applied to devise a dynamic method for describing
gallbladder tone in an in situ baboon model. Under pentobarbital sodium
(Nembutal) anesthesia, cyclical infusion of bile into and withdrawal of
bile from the gallbladder with continuous pressure monitoring allow
instantaneous measurement of the pressure-volume ratio and thus of mean
gallbladder compliance. This paper describes the method and details the
manner of data analysis. Pharmacologic and hormonal agents with known
gallbladder effects are used in order to demonstrate the sensitivity of the
method. Pilocarpine, histamine, and cholecystokinin cause contraction of
the primate gallbladder smooth muscle; this contraction is reflected in
decreased compliance by continuous monitoring. Atropine administration
results in increased ability to accommodate volume infusions; this effect
has not been demonstrated by static monitoring in previous experiments.
This new method allows continuous monitoring of compliance and offers both
simplicity and sensitivity when compared with previous methods.
