Gallbladder wall thickening secondary to focal lymphatic obstruction

Gallbladder wall thickening (3 mm or greater) has been described as a sign of acute or chronic inflammatory disease of the gallbladder. However, gallbladder wall thickening is a nonspecific finding in contracted, postprandial gallbladders and in cases of hypoproteinemia, elevated portal venous pressure, congestive heart failure, multiple myeloma, and hepatitis. This report describes the case of a patient who had a markedly thickened gallbladder wall secondary to focal obstruction of gallbladder lymphatic drainage by malignant lymphoma in the portal lymph nodes.