Effect of distention of the biliary tract on the electrocardiogram; experimental study

THE COEXISTENCE of disease of the biliary tract and disease of the heart is well known. Willius and Brown 1 analyzed eighty-six unselected consecutive necropsies on patients with proved coronary sclerosis. Chronic cholecystitis with or without cholelithiasis was present in 26 per cent. Laird 2 found cardiac lesions in 77 per cent of a series of 65 patients with disease of the gallbladder. In 109 cases of cholecystitis Schwartz and Herman 3 found evidence of cardiac disease in 63 per cent. An incidence of only 41 per cent was found in another 109 medical patients without clinically recognized disease of the biliary tract or cardiac disease. These and other reports show that there is an increased incidence of cardiac disorders in patients with disease of the biliary tract. There are many physiopathologic factors common to the two diseases, such as age, disturbed metabolism, obesity, diet and infection. Surgical intervention for