Defective gallbladder emptying has been proposed as a possible accessory pathogenetic factor to explain the increased prevalence of gallstones in liver cirrhosis. In this study we have evaluated the fasting volume and the meal-stimulated emptying of the gallbladder, the plasma levels of estradiol and progesterone, and the basal and postprandial secretion of cholecystokinin in Child A cirrhotic patients compared to normal subjects. Basal (42.2 +/- 27 vs 22.8 +/- 8.4 ml) (P < 0.002) and residual (8.4 +/- 8.7 vs 4.6 +/- 3.8 ml) (P < 0.05) gallbladder volumes were higher in cirrhotics but neither the integrated gallbladder response to meal nor the maximal percentage of emptying was significantly different. Circulating estradiol and progesterone was slightly increased in only 1/13 and 5/13 cirrhotics, respectively. In eight cirrhotics and seven normals taken from the overall populations, the secretion of cholecystokinin was also measured. The fasting plasma level of cholecystokinin was higher in the cirrhotics (6.71 +/- 5.08 vs 2.02 +/- 0.46 pmol/liter) (P < 0.01). The meal-stimulated integrated plasma cholecystokinin response also was greater in cirrhotics (438.5 +/- 615 pmol/liter/270 min) than in normals (153 +/- 170.4 pmol/liter/270 min), but this difference was not significant because of the small study population. In spite of a normal kinetics of postprandial emptying, cirrhotic patients show increased fasting gallbladder volume and increased plasma levels of basal and postprandial cholecystokinin. Circulating estradiol and progesterone do not seem to be responsible for the large gallbladder volume found in liver cirrhosis.