In vitro dissolution of gallstones: comparison of monooctanoin, sodium dehydrocholate, heparin, and saline.

A new gallstone solvent, monooctanoin, was tested in vitro on gallstones from 43 patients and compared with heparin, sodium dehydrocholate, and saline. Monooctanoin proved to be an excellent solvent, far superior to the other agents. It can completely dissolve or substantially reduce the size of most gallstones (except those composed of bilirubinate) in a relatively short time. Monooctanoin has been used on the bile duct stones in humans with favorable results. It can often eliminate the need for basket extraction of retained bile duct calculi. Potentially, it may be used to dissolve bile duct or gallbladder calculi in patients who are poor surgical risks.