Abstract
We observed the thin sections of many gallstones microscopically, and detected the common network-structure of acidic mucin in the stones, also in the calcium carbonate gallstones. However, PAS-dominant staining mucin without networkstructure was observed slightly in the pancreatic calculi.
We measured hexosamine and total nitrogen of the mucin in the stones. The ratio of them showed similar patterns, on the graph in pure cholesterol gallstones, black stones and calcium bilirubinate gallstones, but the graphs in the pancreatic calculi and calcium carbonate gallstone were different from each other. It was suggested that the quality of the mucin in the pancreatic calculi was different from that of calcium carbonate gallstone.
We made a model of calcium carbonate stone and a model of pancreatic calculi using natural calcite, in order to study their response to ESWL. Both model show the same content of mucin and polymorphs of calcium carbonate as human stones. Each of 7 pancreatic model-stones was destruct ed into many small fragments with 500 shots (18 kV) of ESWL, but 5 calcium carbonat-e model -stones were not destructed. It was suggested that the destructivity of stones by ESWL is based on the quantity and quality of mucin in stones.
