Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 27, 2026

The Role of Indocyanine Green Fluorescence in Complex Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Navigation
Published on: January 31, 2025
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for ultrasound normal gallbladders: Should we forego hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid
Judith Roger1, Thomas Heeley1, Wendy Graham1
1Centre for Rural Health Studies, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada.
Introduction:
Hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA)-radionuclear scans are used to diagnose biliary dyskinesia, the treatment for which is a laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). However, the predictive value of the HIDA scan for LC candidacy is debated.
Case:
A physical, ultrasound, and blood test for a 53-year-old woman with biliary dyskinesia-like symptoms were normal, contradicting a textbook history. A HIDA-scan was ordered but the results suggested she was not eligible for a LC. The patient insisted on receiving the procedure and gave informed consent to undergo an elective LC.
Results:
Six-weeks post-surgery, the patient's symptoms had ceased besides one short episode of abdominal pain.
Conclusion:
A LC relieved the patient's symptoms, suggesting that negative HIDA-scans can mislead correct decisions to perform a LC. Surgeons who receive inconclusive HIDA scan results should consult their patients, and when necessary and agreed-upon, take an informed risk together in an attempt to improve the patient's quality of life.
Related Concept Videos
Gallbladder
The gallbladder's anatomy consists of three regions: the fundus, body, and neck. Extending from the neck, the cystic duct joins...
Diseases of the Liver and Gallbladder
Cirrhosis is characterized by the scarring of hepatic lobules in the liver, which are replaced by fibrous tissue, affecting the liver's normal functioning. NAFLD, on the other hand, is caused by an excessive build-up of fat in the liver, not...
Leaky Scanning
Normal Stress
When a rod is under axial loading, the internal forces and corresponding stress are normal to the plane of the section, so it is termed normal stress. It's important to...
Normal Distribution
Normal and Shear Force

