The usefulness and limitations of ultrasonography for the diagnosis of adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder

Summary

Ultrasonography has been popular for the diagnosis of gallbladder diseases since the mid-1970s. Although this technique has replaced oral cholecystography (OCG) for the diagnosis of cholecystolithiasis, it has not gained popularity in the diagnosis of adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder (AMMG). We examined 141 patients with clinically suspected gallbladder disease. Ultrasonography (previously done by a radiologist) had produced no positive findings. On ultrasonographic re-evaluation by the same radiologist, but in the presence of a surgeon from our study group, 64 cases of AMMG were detected. OCG revealed the diagnosis of AMMG in 13 other cases. In the study group there were no false-positive results. However, the false-negative rate of sonography in diagnosing AMMG was 16.9%. Thus, in our opinion ultrasonography is a worthwhile technique in diagnosing AMMG done by a surgeon.