[Diagnosis of gallbladder cancer by imaging techniques: problems, limitations and their explanations, especially with...

The preoperative diagnosis of less than ss depth gallbladder cancer is difficult. Its preoperative diagnosis rate was low (27.5%), and even lower with the presence of concomitant gallstone. In the latter case, the diagnosis rate was particularly low when the stones diameter was greater than 1 cm. Gallstones are frequently associated with macromorphologically invasive type of gallbladder cancer and this may be the reason for the lower diagnostic rate. We compared preoperative diagnosis rate of ultrasonography (US), computed tomography (CT) and drip infusion cholecystography (DIC) for each invasion depth. In US, the preoperative diagnosis rate for m depth invasion was 6/16 (37.5%), pm depth was 1/13 (7.7%), and ss depth was 14/41 (34.1%). In CT, its rate for m depth was 3/11 (27.3%), pm depth was 1/10 (10.0%), and ss depth was 11/37 (29.7%). In DIC, its rate for m depth was 3/11 (27.3%), pm depth was 1/10 (10.0%), and ss was depth 1/23 (4.3%). None of the currently used imaging techniques were very accurate in diagnosing gallbladder cancer. Thus, during preoperative work up, if one discovers a gallbladder full of stones, stones of greater than 1 cm in diameter, thickened gallbladder wall, or a non visualized gallbladder with DIC, gallbladder cancer must be highly suspected.