Aim: To characterize motor-kinetic and inflammatory changes in extrahepatic biliary tracts and gallbladder in patients with chronic viral hepatitis (CVH). To ascertain whether there is a pathogenetic correlation between affection of the biliary system and viral infection.
Material and methods: The condition of the biliary tract was examined in 183 patients with CVH using fractionated duodenal tubing with biochemical tests and bacteriological investigation of bile, dynamic ultrasonic investigation.
Results: 69.9% patients were diagnosed to have dysfunction of the Oddi's sphyncter caused by its hypertonicity, 4.4% patients had hypotonic sphyncter. Hyper- and hypotonicity of the gallbladder were observed in 45.8 and 20.8% patients, respectively. Biliary dysfunction was associated with the process activity but not with a nosological form of the disease. Chronic acalculous cholecystitis was verified in 21.2% patients.
Conclusion: Chronic HBV and HCV infections are accompanied with biliary dysfunctions associated with activity of inflammation in the liver. Oddi's sphincter dysfunction in CVH is a risk factor of gallbladder inflammation.