[Frequency and complications of cholelithiasis]

The authors studied a total of 16557 necropsy reports for 20 years, at the Chair of Pathologic Anatomy, Medical Faculty, Sofia, as regards the incidence and complications of cholelithiasis. In order to determine the effect of the applied modern antibiotic treatment, the material studied covers the decades 1932-1941 and 1963-1972. Cholelithiasis incidence grew about five times during the second period. A change in the incidence of certain complications is also observed--a) there is a considerable decrease in the number of liver abscesses during the antibiotic period (about three times); b) the number of the developed biliary cirrhosis grew (about three times). With age aspect, the peak incidence has shifted with a decade backwards during the second period, life prolongation being the reason for it.