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Hemobilia: sonographic appearances in the gallbladder and biliary tree with emphasis on intracholecystic blood
F C Laing1, M C Frates, V A Feldstein
1Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
The purpose [corrected] of this study is to discuss the causes and sonographic appearances of blood in the gallbladder and biliary tree. Over a 12 year period, 18 patients with hemobilia had ultrasonographic examinations at one of three hospitals. Hemobilia was categorized as traumatic (50%), spontaneous (28%), or inflammatory (22%), with coagulopathy present in half of the cases. The sonographic appearances of intracholecystic blood varied, but with the exception of a single case, masslike intracholecystic material was present. Biliary dilatation occurred in five patients, with echogenic material visible in the extrahepatic bile duct in three of these cases.
The purpose [corrected] of this study is to discuss the causes and sonographic appearances of blood in the gallbladder and biliary tree. Over a 12 year period, 18 patients with hemobilia had ultrasonographic examinations at one of three hospitals. Hemobilia was categorized as traumatic (50%), spontaneous (28%), or inflammatory (22%), with coagulopathy present in half of the cases. The sonographic appearances of intracholecystic blood varied, but with the exception of a single case, masslike intracholecystic material was present. Biliary dilatation occurred in five patients, with echogenic material visible in the extrahepatic bile duct in three of these cases.