17. Biliary Tract: Gallbladder and Biliary Disease Flashcards
What are the three main problems of the gallbladder that were discussed?
Cholecystitis: calculous cholecystitis, acalculous, xanthogranulomatous
Porcelain gallbladder
Gallbladder polyps
What is cholecystitis?
Galbladder inflammation
What does acute choecystitis present with?
RUQ pain
Fever
Leukocytosis
Gallbladder inflammation
What is the term for when cholecystitis is NOT associated with a gallstone?
Acalculous
**calculus and xanthogranulomatous are associated with gallstones
Chronic cholecystitis is almost always associated with:
Gallstones
What happens in chronic cholecystitis?
Mechanical irritation or recurrent acute cholecystitis –> fibrosis
What is the pathogenesis of acute cholecystitis?
Cystic duct obstruction in addition to irritant (lysolecithin) –> Release of inflammatory mediators (prostaglandins)
What are the clinical manifestations of acute cholecystitis?
- Prolonged (over 4-6 hr) RUQ/epigastric pain with radiation to the shoulder or back
- Fever
- Abdominal guarding: local parietal peritoneal inflammation
- Murphy’s sign
- Leukocytosis
What is murphy’s sign for acute cholecystitis?
Increased discomfort when the patient takes a deep breath in while the examiner palpates RUQ
Is there elevated bilibrubin and ALP with acute cholecystitis?
No
What imaging is done for acute cholecystitis?
Abdominal ultrasound
HIDA scan
CT
What abdominal ultrasound findings suggest acute chol?
Cholelithiasis, wall thickening over 4-5 mm or edema, sonographic Murphy’s sign
What happens in cholescintigraphy/99mTc-hepatic imindiacetic acid (HIDA) scans?
Labelled HIDA injected IV
Taken up by hepatocytes
Excreted in the bile
**no visualization of the gallbladder due to cystic duct obstruction
What will a CT show with acute chol?
Gallbladder wall edema
Pericholecystic stranding and fluid
High-attenuation bile
**not a good modality to detect gallstones
What is the most common complication of acute cholecystitis?
Gangrene
What can happen after the development of gangrene from acute chol?
Perforation; localized, resulting in abscess
4 complications of acute chol?
Gangrene
Perforation
Cholecystoenteric fistula
Emphysematous cholecystitis
What happens in a cholecystoenteric fistula from acute chol?
Fistula into duodenum or jejunum allows passage of gallstone, mechanical bowel obstruction, usually in the terminal ileum (gallstone ileus)
What is emphysematous cholecystitis? (complication of acute chol)
Secondary infection of the gallbladder wall with gas forming organisms
–usually leads to gangrene and perforation
Tx of acute cholecystitis
May abate in 7-10 days if not treated Antibiotics Pain control: NSAIDs and opioids Gallbladder drainage (percutaneous, endoscopic) Surgery
When is immidiate surgery advised for acute chol? Delayed cholecystectomy?
Patients with complications or low risk
High risk patients: severe chronic illness, low-risk patients with sepsis
Prognosis of acute cholecystitis?
Mortality of approximately 3%
- less than 1% in young healthy patients
- up to 10% in high-risk patients or those with complications
What happens in acalculous cholecystitis (pathogenesis)?
Gallbladder stasis and ischemia ->
Local inflammatory response ->
Secondary infection
Who typically gets acalculous cholecystitis?
Hospitalized, critically ill patients
What is the clinical presentation of acalculous chol?
Similar to calculous–fever, leukocytosis, abdominal pain
**non-specific liver enzyme tests
Diagnosis of acalculous chol
Abdominal ultrasound: no cholelithiasis, wall thickening over 3 mm, sonographic Murphy’s sign, percholecystic fluid
HIDA scan: lack of gallbladder visualization
CT
Three components of tx for acalculous cholecystitis?
- Antibiotics
- Percutaneous cholecystostomy
- Cholecystectomy
What is the prognosis of acalculous cholecystitis?
High mortality with delayed tx 75%
Overall mortality of 30%
What is xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis?
Extravastion of bile into the gallbladder wall –>
Inflammatory reaction (fibroblasts and PMNs phagocytose biliary lipids in bile) –>
Xanthoma cells
**gallstones present in all patients
What is the clinical presentation of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis?
Hx suggestive of acute cholecystitis
Can mimic gallbladder cancer
High rate of complications–perforation, fistulas, abscess
Diagnosis of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis
Abdominal ultrasound: hypoechoic nodules or bands in the gallbladder wall most characteristic
CT: intramural hypodense nodules
Tx for xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis
Cholecystectomy
Preop cholangiogram to exclude bile duct cancer
What is porcelain gallbladder?
Chronic cholecystitis with intramural calcification of the gallbladder wall
Possible causes of porcelain gallbladder
- Gallbladder wall injury from stone irritation
- Bile stagnation and mucosal precipitation of calcium carbonate salts
- Deposition of lime salts from chronic inflammation
Prevalence of porcelain gallbladder
M/F
Increased risk for:
Uncommon 0.06-0.08
Females 5:1
Gallbladder cancer; incomplete calcificaiton more risky than complete
Possible clinical presentations of porcelain gallbladder
Asymptomatic
Biliary type pain
Palpable gallbladder
Diagnosis of porcelain gallbladder
Plain x-ray
CT
Abdominal ultrasound
Tx for porcelain gallbladder
Cholecystectomy for incomplete calc or symptomatic complete calc
What are the four classes of benign gallbladder polyps *found in 1.5-4.5% of patients undergoing gallbladder ultrasonography
Cholesterol
Adenomyomas
Inflammatory
Adenoma
What are cholesterol gallbladder polyps
Abnormal deposits of triglycerides, cholesterol precursors, and cholesterol esters into the gallbladder mucosa
What is a adenomyomatosis? (gallbladder polyp)
Overgrowth of the mucosa, thickening of the muscle wall, and intramural diverticula
**associated with cholelithiasis
M/F in adenomyomatosis? Cancer?
More common in women
No conclusive evidence of increased risk of gallbladder cancer
What are inflammatory gallbladder polyps?
Granulation and fibrous tissue with plasma cells and lymphocytes
What are adenomas (gallbladder polyps)?
Benign glandular tumors with the potential for malignancy