J Korean Radiol Soc.  2001 Feb;44(2):221-227. 10.3348/jkrs.2001.44.2.221.

Intramural Hypoattenuated Nodules in Thickened Wall of the Gallbladder: CT Features According to Their Primary Causes

• Lee JH
• Ha HK
• Lee JH
• Lee JH
• Kim TK
• Kim PN
• Lee MG
• Kim MJ

• KMID: 2302386
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3348/jkrs.2001.44.2.221

Abstract

According to published reports, a common feature of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis is the presence of intramural hypoattenuated nodules in thickened gallbladder wall. These nodules can, however, also be seen in pathological conditions such as acute cholecystitis, hyperplastic cholecystoses (cholesterolosis and adenomyomatosis), gallbladder cancer, and other inflammatory diseases such as tuberculosis. Retrospective review of the abdominal CT findings in 622 patients who for various reasons underwent cholecystectomy during a one-year period showed that intramural nodules were present in 60. In this pictorial essay we illustrate the imaging features of the many different pathological conditions which give rise to intramural hypoattenuated nodules in thickened wall of the gallbladder, correlating these features with the histopathological findings.

Keyword

Gallbladder, CT; Gallbladder, wall thickening; College of Medicine

MeSH Terms

Cholecystectomy
Cholecystitis
Cholecystitis, Acute
Gallbladder Neoplasms
Gallbladder*
Humans
Retrospective Studies
Tomography, X-Ray Computed
Tuberculosis