Pseudo gallbladder sign in biliary atresia--an imaging pitfall. 2011

Seerat Aziz, and Yvette Wild, and Philip Rosenthal, and Ruth B Goldstein
Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143-0628, USA. seerat.aziz@ucsf.edu

BACKGROUND Ultrasound (US) is used to identify causes of neonatal cholestasis. We describe a potential sonographic pitfall, the "pseudo gallbladder," in biliary atresia (BA). OBJECTIVE To describe the Pseudo Gallbladder sign (PsGB sign). METHODS Sonograms/clinical records of 20 confirmed BA infants and 20 non-BA cases were reviewed retrospectively. For the BA group, preoperative sonography and surgical and pathological findings were examined. For the non-BA group, sonographic features and pathological findings were examined. The PsGB sign is defined as a fluid-filled structure, located in the expected region of the gallbladder, measuring ≤ 15 mm in length but without a well-defined or normal-appearing gallbladder wall. RESULTS A recognizable gallbladder and normal gallbladder wall were present in all non-BA infants. However, none of the BA infants had a sonographically normal gallbladder. Seventy-three percent of BA patients had a PsGB, and in 27% no gallbladder or gallbladder-like structure was detected. CONCLUSIONS A gallbladder-like structure in BA is common and can be misinterpreted as a normal gallbladder, delaying diagnosis and therapy. Recognition of this imaging pitfall, described here as the pseudo gallbladder sign, will help avoid this error.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007223 Infant A child between 1 and 23 months of age. Infants
D007231 Infant, Newborn An infant during the first 28 days after birth. Neonate,Newborns,Infants, Newborn,Neonates,Newborn,Newborn Infant,Newborn Infants
D008297 Male Males
D002779 Cholestasis Impairment of bile flow due to obstruction in small bile ducts (INTRAHEPATIC CHOLESTASIS) or obstruction in large bile ducts (EXTRAHEPATIC CHOLESTASIS). Bile Duct Obstruction,Biliary Stasis,Bile Duct Obstructions,Biliary Stases,Cholestases,Duct Obstruction, Bile,Duct Obstructions, Bile,Obstruction, Bile Duct,Obstructions, Bile Duct,Stases, Biliary,Stasis, Biliary
D003937 Diagnosis, Differential Determination of which one of two or more diseases or conditions a patient is suffering from by systematically comparing and contrasting results of diagnostic measures. Diagnoses, Differential,Differential Diagnoses,Differential Diagnosis
D005260 Female Females
D005704 Gallbladder A storage reservoir for BILE secretion. Gallbladder allows the delivery of bile acids at a high concentration and in a controlled manner, via the CYSTIC DUCT to the DUODENUM, for degradation of dietary lipid. Gallbladders
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001656 Biliary Atresia Progressive destruction or the absence of all or part of the extrahepatic BILE DUCTS, resulting in the complete obstruction of BILE flow. Usually, biliary atresia is found in infants and accounts for one third of the neonatal cholestatic JAUNDICE. Atresia, Biliary,Biliary Atresia, Extrahepatic,Biliary Atresia, Intrahepatic,Extrahepatic Biliary Atresia,Familial Extrahepatic Biliary Atresia,Idiopathic Extrahepatic Biliary Atresia,Intrahepatic Biliary Atresia,Atresia, Extrahepatic Biliary,Atresia, Intrahepatic Biliary
D012189 Retrospective Studies Studies used to test etiologic hypotheses in which inferences about an exposure to putative causal factors are derived from data relating to characteristics of persons under study or to events or experiences in their past. The essential feature is that some of the persons under study have the disease or outcome of interest and their characteristics are compared with those of unaffected persons. Retrospective Study,Studies, Retrospective,Study, Retrospective

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