Compared with morphine, meperidine is associated with which pattern regarding biliary spasm?

Compared with morphine, meperidine is associated with which pattern regarding biliary spasm?

• A. Less Biliary Spasm than Morphine
• B. More Constipation than Morphine
• C. No Placental Transfer
• D. Higher Biliary Spasm Risk

Answer: (A)

Opioids can affect the biliary system by changing the tone of the sphincter of Oddi. Morphine is well known for increasing this sphincter’s tone, which raises biliary ductal pressure and can provoke biliary spasm or biliary colic in patients with biliary disease. Meperidine tends to produce less contraction of the sphincter of Oddi, so it is associated with less biliary spasm than morphine. Therefore, compared with morphine, meperidine shows a pattern of reduced biliary spasm risk. In clinical practice this makes meperidine a somewhat preferable choice in patients with biliary disease, though no opioid is completely without risk for biliary spasm.

Opioids can affect the biliary system by changing the tone of the sphincter of Oddi. Morphine is well known for increasing this sphincter’s tone, which raises biliary ductal pressure and can provoke biliary spasm or biliary colic in patients with biliary disease. Meperidine tends to produce less contraction of the sphincter of Oddi, so it is associated with less biliary spasm than morphine. Therefore, compared with morphine, meperidine shows a pattern of reduced biliary spasm risk. In clinical practice this makes meperidine a somewhat preferable choice in patients with biliary disease, though no opioid is completely without risk for biliary spasm.