The normal gallbladder dimensions on ultrasound are approximately 3 cm in width by 10 cm in length.
A recent study evaluated the diagnostic test characteristics of gallbladder distension on POCUS for cholecystitis.
The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study of 227 patients who were admitted to the hospital after undergoing a POCUS biliary study in the emergency department.
They found the prevalence of gallbladder distension to be 30% in their study population. When combined with other sonographic findings, the presence of distension increased the specificity for cholecystitis to 95.6%.
Gallbladder wall distension was associated with the presence of an obstructing stone in the gallbladder neck and with acute cholecystitis.
Additionally, gallbladder wall distension was associated with longer operative times (mean 114 minutes) compared to those without distension (mean 89 minutes; p=0.03), suggesting more severe disease and potentially more complex surgical intervention.
Bottom Line: When gallbladder wall distension is present, it is important to carefully evaluate the gallbladder neck for signs of an obstructing stone.
References
Cannata D, Chin KA, Anslip A, et al. Association of biliary distention with a diagnosis of acute cholecystitis. Am J Emerg Med. 2024 Jul;81:130-135. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2024.04.056.
