Impaired gallbladder motility and delayed orocecal transit contribute to pigment gallstone and biliary sludge formation in β -thalassemia major adults

Table 2 Dyspeptic symptoms, bowel habits and gastrointestinal motility indices (gallbladder, stomach, small bowel) in β -thalas-semia major patients with or without gallstone/sludge and in controls

	Gallstones	Sludge	GS/sludge-free	Controls	P
No. of subjects	7	6	10	70
Dyspepsia (Buckley score)	5.0 ± 1.0	6.8 ± 2.2	7.8 ± 2.5a	4.9 ± 0.2	0.046
Bowel habits (Bristol score)	3.5 ± 0.21	3.4 ± 0.6	3.8 ± 0.2	3.5 ± 0.07	NS
Stomach
Fasting antral area (cm2)	2.8 ± 0.2	2.9 ± 0.2	3.4 ± 0.3	3.2 ± 0.1	NS
Postprandial maximal area (cm2)	10.4 ± 0.2	10.7 ± 0.5	10.9 ± 0.4	11.5 ± 0.2	NS
Postprandial minimal area (%)	0.9 ± 0.5	0.3 ± 0.3	0.4 ± 0.7	2.1 ± 0.4	NS
Postprandial minimal (cm2)	2.9 ± 0.2	3.0 ± 0.2	3.3 ± 0.2	3.4 ± 0.1	NS
Half-emptying time (min)	28 ± 2	31 ± 2	28 ± 2	27 ± 1	NS
Gallbladder	30.1 ± 3.8a	42.9 ± 10.3a	40.6 ± 8.9a	20.3 ± 0.7	0.000001
Fasting volume (mL)	4.4 ± 0.9	10.0 ± 2.7ac	9.1 ± 2.3ac	5.1 ± 0.3	0.00030
Postprandial residual volume (mL)	14.7 ± 1.6a	23.0 ± 2.7	22.6 ± 2.4	24.6 ± 1.0	0.023
Postprandial residual volume (%)	21 ± 1	27 ± 5a	26 ± 2a	20 ± 1	0.009
Half-emptying time (min)	30.1 ± 3.8a	42.9 ± 10.3a	40.6 ± 8.9a	20.3 ± 0.7	0.000001
Small bowel
Orocecal transit Time (min)	128.6 ± 13.4a	30.0 ± 15.0a	136.0 ± 13.6a	99.7 ± 2.3	0.000002

Data are expressed as mean ± SE; GS: Gallstones;

^aP < 0.05 vs controls;

^cP < 0.05 vs gallstones (ANOVA and Fisher’s LSD multiple-comparison test); NS: Not significant.