CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Gallbladder cancer is usually diagnosed at a late stage and generally results in death. Discovery of predisposing factors for this neoplasia could prevent this outcome. In this study, we assess the presence of one of these factors: intestinal metaplasia in gallbladders with stones and inflammatory processes. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study in Hospital do Servidor Público Estadual de São Paulo. METHOD: The first 80 gallbladders from patients who underwent elective cholecystectomy between April and August 2002, presenting stones and chronic inflammation, were studied. The patients were divided into groups according to their age: CC1, from 15 to 40 years; CC2, from 41 to 60 years; and CC3, from 61 to 85 years. RESULTS: Twenty-one patients (26%) were male, while 59 (74%) were female. In the group CC1, intestinal metaplasia was present in 85.71% of the 21 patients studied; in CC2, in 79.41% of 34 patients; and in CC3, in 56.00% of 25 patients. These differences presented statistical significance (p = 0.04542). CONCLUSION: Intestinal metaplasia is extremely frequent in gallbladders with inflammation and lithiasis, especially in younger patients.
Lithiasis; Cholecystitis; Gallbladder; Metaplasia; Cholecystectomy
