Multilevel scoring systems based on ultrasound for differentiating between gallbladder adenomatous polyps and...

The aim of this study was to develop multilevel scoring systems based on conventional ultrasound (US) and clinical characteristics to distinguish gallbladder adenoma and non-neoplastic polyps ≥1.0 cm in size in order to reduce the gallbladder unnecessary resection rate (UNRR).

Retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who underwent cholecystectomy for gallbladder polyps measuring ≥1.0 cm at a hospital from January 2011 to January 2022. According to pathology, the patients were divided into adenomatous polyp group and non-neoplastic polyp group. The risk factors were selected by logistic regression, and multilevel scoring systems were constructed. Compared with the current guidelines, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and UNRR were used to evaluate the model.

The study included 223 patients (aged 18-72 years, 59.2% female), with 48 patients in the adenomatous polyp group and 175 in the non-neoplastic polyp group. The US scoring system considered polyp size, polyp morphology ratio, and the absence of gallstones as risk factors for adenoma. The clinical-US scoring system consisted of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total bile acid (TBA), polyp size, homogeneous echogenicity, and gallstones. The clinical US scoring system has better discrimination than the US scoring system. When cholecystectomy was recommended for patients in grade 2-4 of the clinical-US scoring system, the UNRR of non-neoplastic polyps was significantly reduced compared to current guidelines (83.4% vs 100.0%, P<0.001), while maintaining comparable sensitivity (0.979 vs 1.000, P>0.999).

The multilevel scoring systems based on clinical and conventional US features can effectively differentiate between gallbladder adenomatous polyps and non-neoplastic polyps ≥1.0 cm in size.