Gallbladder cholesterolosis: an aetiological factor in acute pancreatitis of uncertain origin

To investigate the possible relationship between gallbladder cholesterolosis and acute pancreatitis, we studied 3797 cholecystectomy specimens and found 55 cases of gallbladder cholesterolosis unassociated with biliary lithiasis. From the reviewed case notes, 27 of these patients presented with recurrent attacks of acute pancreatitis which disappeared after cholecystectomy (follow-up 65.1 months). A microscopic study revealed frank cholesterolosis in all cases with a pseudopolyp transformation of the mucosa, some polyps reaching a diameter of 2 mm. We postulate that the mechanism could be temporary impaction of cholesterolosis polyps at the sphincter of Oddi and suggest that patients with recurrent attacks of acute pancreatitis and negative aetiological investigation must be considered as at high risk of having gallbladder cholesterolosis and that they could benefit from cholecystectomy.