Gastroesophageal Mucosal Injury after Cholecystectomy: An Indication for Surveillance?

Background: Cholecystectomy alters bile release dynamics from pulsatile meal-stimulated to continuous, and results in retrograde duodeno-gastric bile reflux (DGR). Bile is implicated in mucosal injury after gastric surgery, but whether cholecystectomy causes esophagogastric mucosal inflammation, therefore increasing the risk of metaplasia, is unclear.

Study Design: This study examined whether cholecystectomy-induced DGR promotes chronic inflammatory mucosal changes of the stomach and/or the esophagogastric junction (EGJ).