Atypical gastrointestinal symptoms are not associated with gallstones in patients with spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVE

To determine if nonspecific gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms justify cholecystectomy in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI).

DESIGN

The frequency of GI symptoms was determined in a sample of patients with SCI in whom the presence or absence of gallstones had been previously determined by screening ultrasonography or a known history of cholecystectomy. The prevalence of various symptoms in patients with and without gallstones was compared.

SETTING

The Spinal Cord Injury Unit of the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System, which provides rehabilitation and longitudinal primary care for SCI veterans.

PATIENTS: Two hundred ninety-four patients who had undergone either right upper quadrant ultrasonography or cholecystectomy in the past, and who completed a questionnaire concerning GI symptoms.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Bivariate logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) to determine the strength of associations between the presence of each symptom and the presence of gallstones.

RESULTS

Pain in the right upper quadrant or epigastrium that occurred after meals or at night was significantly associated with gallstones (OR: 3.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-11.73). Abdominal pain in other locations and nonspecific symptoms such as bloating and nausea, were not predictive of the presence of gallstones.

CONCLUSIONS

Nonspecific symptoms in patients with SCI are not associated with gallstones and do not justify cholecystectomy in patients with otherwise asymptomatic gallstones.