Causes Of Gallbladder Wall Thickening On Ultrasound

Edematous thickening of the gallbladder wall in a patient with cardiac failure and ascites.

Causes of gallbladder wall thickening on ultrasound.

Treatment strategies are based on the cause of the wall thickening. Gallbladder wall thickening can be caused by inflammatory benign and malignant etiologies. In general most pathological processes affecting the gallbladder will cause thickening either due to inflammation or due to precipitation of bile contents due to prolonged stasis. Liver cirrhosis hepatitis and congestive right heart failure are relatively frequent causes.

Diffuse thickening of the gallbladder wall can occur in a number of situations. There is also some thickened bile and there are gallstones. Edematous thickening of the gallbladder wall longitudinal edematous thickening of the gallbladder wall longitudinal. The case on the left is a patient with liver cirrhosis.

The secondary gallbladder wall thickening is presumably due to elevated portal venous pressure and decreased intravascular osmotic pressure. Inflammation due to urinary tract infection uti a uti is often the result of bacteria entering the urethra and then the bladder. Pseudothickening caused by the normal postprandial state of the contracted gallbladder is also extremely common 5. Thickening of the gallbladder wall usually considered 3 mm is a non specific sign of various conditions.

Thus for all non emergent exams a fasting period of 6 12 hours fewer or none in children is advised to achieve maximal gallbladder distension. The diagnosis is made on imaging studies.