Evaluation of the gallbladder morphology and function by
ultrasonography
Poster No.:
C-0982
Congress:
ECR 2015
Type:
Scientific Exhibit
Authors:
R. A. M. Santos , B. A. G. Guedes , G. Paulo ; Coimbra/PT,
1
2
1 1
2
Santarém/PT
Keywords:
Ultrasound, Biliary Tract / Gallbladder, Anatomy, Abdomen,
Education, Education and training
DOI:
10.1594/ecr2015/C-0982
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Page 1 of 7
Aims and objectives
The Gallbladder is an accessory organ and its main functions are to store and excrete
bile (1).
A higher ingestion of fat food and cholesterol, leads to a greater gallbladder contraction
(1,2,3). This contraction results from the smooth muscle gallbladder relaxation and from
the coordination between the neuroendocrine gallbladder, cystic duct, sphincter of Oddi
and intestine (4).
The gallbladder motility is regulated by Cholecystokinin (CCK), which causes the
gallbladder muscle contraction, depending of the organism motility (4,5).
Ultrasound is a non-invasive method, which has a high sensitivity and specificity in
pathologies detection (1,2,3). Ultrasound costs are low and it does not use ionizing
radiation (2). This technique allows a better visualization of structures in real time and it
is a suitable method for studying the structures functionality (6).
The main goal of this project was to evaluate the gallbladder morphology and function
variation, using ultrasonography, depending on the food nutrients that are eaten.
Methods and materials
Eighty healthy individuals (40 males and 40 females) taking a normal diet, considering
the National Food Composition Table, were submitted to an ultrasound examination
(2-5MHz, convex probe) in order to evaluate the gallbladder dimensions before and after
each meal (breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack). On the second phase
of this study, ten of the eighty individuals (3 males and 7 females) had a high lipid
meal instead of the normal morning snack. Gender and body mass index (BMI) of the
individuals were also collected. Two ultrasound images of the gallbladder were acquired,
in longitudinal and transverse planes. Gallbladder volume was calculated using Image J
software. All data were analysed by SPSS software version 20.0.
Images for this section:
Page 2 of 7
Fig. 1: Gallblader measurements by Image J programe
Page 3 of 7
Results
The subjects had a mean age of 20 ± 2.1 years. 78% of the individuals had a normal
weight (31 males and 32 females). Meanwhile, only 3 individuals of the female gender
are below normal BMI (3.8%). Finally, 17.5% of the individuals had overweight (9 males
and 5 females).
Gallbladder volume throughout the day decreased, from 14cm3 ± 6.3, to a volume of
8cm3 ± 4.93.
Statistical differences (p<0.05) in gallbladder volume were detected between normal
and individuals with high BMI. Correlation was verified between age and gallbladder
function after breakfast and lunch. The high lipid meal revealed statistical differences on
gallbladder volume and contraction.
Images for this section:
Fig. 2: Gallbladder Volumes per meal with T0 (subjects avoided food or drink 3 hours
before the exam), T1 (After Breakfast), T2 (Snack Before Morning), T3 (Snack Morning
After), T4 (Before Lunch), T5 (After Lunch) T6 (Before Afternoon Snack) and T7 (After
Afternoon Snack)
Page 4 of 7
Fig. 3: Gallbladder volumes: normal diet and standard diet
Page 5 of 7
Conclusion
This results are in consonance with several studies that have shown that BMI influences
the speed of gallbladder contraction (7). For an example, in subjects with overweight, the
gallbladder contraction will be slower and there may be a gallbladder hypomotility (7,10).
The residual volume of the gallbladder is higher in older people and with overweight (8,
13). Porticansa (2003) defends that ingestion of a standard diet rich in a fatty meals will
reduce the gallbladder volume in more than 50% in just 15 minutes (9).
Gallbladder contraction speed is lower in older individuals and in those with higher BMI
when compared with young and normal BMI ones. Ultrasound is a good diagnostic
method for gallbladder morphology and function study.
Personal information
Santos, R., Guedes, B., Paulo, G.
Medical Imaging and Radiotherapy Department, Coimbra Health School, Polytechnic
Institute of Coimbra, Portugal
In case of any questions, comments or ideas feel free to contact the presenting author:
[email protected]
References
1. M., Kathleen L.; et al. Alimentos, Nutrição& Dietoterapia. ROCA 11 edition: 723-726
2. Sporia I, Popescu A. Ultrasound examination of normal gallbladder and biliary system.
Medical Ultrasonography. 2010. 12(2), 150-152
3. J. Canchir, Soft-tissue images. "Phrygian cap" gallbladder, Canadian Medical
Association 2003, 46(1), 2003
4. Porticansa. P & Moschetta A., Measurements of gallbladder motor function by
ultrasonography: towards standardization, Digestive and liver disease, 2003
5. Zhu J., et al. Gallbladder motor function, plasma cholecystokinin and cholecystokinin
receptor of gallbladder in cholesterol stone patients. World Journal Gastroenterology.
2005, 11(11): 1685-1689.
Page 6 of 7
6. Loreno M., et al. Ultrasonographic study of gallbladder wall thickness and emptying in
cirrhotic patients without gallstones. Gastroenterology research and practice. 2009
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regression model for gallbladder and gastric emptying ratio. Pan African Medical Journal.
2011
8. Ciaula A., et al. Gallbladder and Gastric Motility in Obese Newborns, Pre-adolescents
and Adults. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2012, 1298-1305
9. Portincasa P. Phisiology of gallbladder motility. Clujul Medical. 2009, 132(2)
10. Ugwu A., Agwu K. Ultrasound quantification of gallbladder volume to establish
baseline contraction indices in healthy adults: A pilot study. The South African
Radiographer. 2010, 48(2).
11. Jazrawi R. Measurement of gallbladder motor functions: an overwiew. Digestive and
Liver Disease. 2009, 35(3): 51-55.
0 0 1 257 1466 estesc 12 3 1720 14.0 Normal 0 false false false PT JA X-NONE
12. Pallota, N., Ultrasonography in the assessment of gallbladder motor activity, Digestive
and liver disease, S67-S69, 2003
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