Echogenicities in the fetal gallbladder: Prevalence, sonographic findings, and postnatal outcomes

To investigate the prevalence of echogenicity in the fetal gallbladder (EFG) and to present prenatal sonographic findings and their postnatal outcomes.

We performed a retrospective study within 17420 pregnant women during a 66-month period. Fetuses with an incidental finding of EFG in their 2nd or 3rd trimester of pregnancy were followed until birth per two weeks with sonographic examinations.

Out of 5977 fetuses, 44 fetuses were found to have EFG with a prevalence of 0.74%. Nine (20%) of 44 fetuses had single echogenicity, 25 (56%) had multiple echogenicities, 10 (22%) had sludge-like echogenicities. In Doppler sonography, 28 fetuses with EFG exhibited twinkling artifacts; however, none of the echogenicities had obvious acoustic shadowing. All of the cases were resolved either in utero or after birth before 10 months of age.

EFG is a late third-trimester phenomenon with a prevalence of 0.74%. Most EFGs presented as twinkling artifacts, suggesting they had a cholesterol component.