The clinical significance of bile reflux

Although bile reflux into the stomach has been a subject of major interest during the last 15 years, its role in gastric pathology is not fully understood. The simple technique of sampling gastric contents and measuring bile acids is probably the most useful and reliable method available. Whether the reflux always precedes ulceration or is caused in some way by the gastritis remains unresolved, for bile reflux is common in many clinical situations where gastritis is present. After gastric surgery bile has been blamed for the gastritis which occurs as well as symptoms of post prandial epigastric discomfort, heartburn and bile vomiting. This is probably the only clinical situation where further procedures have been examined which specifically divert bile away from the stomach with good results. Bile reflux is also very common in patients with heartburn suggesting that bile and acid are both necessary to produce oesophagitis and heartburn. This is borne out by clinical observations and experimental work in animals. With the exception of those patients who have had gastric surgery, we have little or no evidence of the consequences of bile exclusion from the stomach in other pathological situations.