Case Study: Gallbladder Exam

How sharp are your POCUS skills? Test them out and see if you can solve the case study below.

A 38-year-old female presented with pain in the right upper abdomen. The following two images were obtained while scanning her gallbladder.

 

What is the diagnosis?

A. Acute cholecystitis
B. Acute Gangrenous cholecystitis
C. Emphysematous cholecystitis

 

Images courtesy of UltrasoundCases.info owned by SonoSkills

 

This is a case of acute gangrenous cholecystitis.

Explanation

The images show a well distended gallbladder with folded membranous structure seen within the lumen of the gallbladder. This is the sloughed mucosal lining of the gallbladder. No air is seen within the gallbladder so it is not emphysematous cholecystitis. This is a surgical emergency and the patient must undergo urgent surgery to prevent a fatal outcome.

 

References

  1. https://doi.org/10.4103%2F0974-2700.93112

 


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