[Biliary lipid secretion in men with cholelithiasis].

Supersaturation of bile is indispensable for the appearance of cholesterol gallstones; it can be due to hypersecretion of cholesterol or to hyposecretion of bile acids and phospholipids. In a previous study we demonstrated cholesterol hypersecretion in Chilean women with gallstones. To elucidate the secretory defect in male patients we studied two groups of young men with normal body weight and a functioning gallbladder: four individuals with cholesterol gallstones and six healthy volunteers. The bile acid pool size and the secretory rate of bile acids and phospholipids were similar in controls and gallstone patients. On the other hand, cholesterol output was higher in the gallstone group. This study confirms the importance of biliary cholesterol hypersecretion as a major factor in the pathogenesis of gallstone disease in Chile.