| Courvoisier's gallbladder | An enlarged, often palpable gallbladder in a patient with carcinoma of the head of the pancreas. It is associated with jaundice due to obstruction of the common bile duct. See: Courvoisier's law. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| porcelain gallbladder | <radiology> Calcium incrustation of gallbladder wall, 0.6-0.8% of cholecystectomy patients, 80% female, 10-20% develop gallbladder carcinoma, 90% associated with gallstones findings: nonfunctioning gallbladder on oral cholecystogram, highly echogenic shadowing curvilinear sturucture in the gallbladder fossa (Differential diagnosis: stone-filled contracted gall bladder), echogenic gallbladder wall with little acoustic shadowing (Differential diagnosis: emphysematous cholecystitis), scattered irregular clumps of echoes with posterior acoustic shadowing (12 Dec 1998) |
| sandpaper gallbladder | A roughened condition of the mucous membrane of the gallbladder, associated usually with the presence of gallstones. (05 Mar 2000) |
| serosa of gallbladder | Serous coat of the gallbladder; the visceral peritoneum covering the portions of the gallbladder not in direct contact with the liver. Synonym: tunica serosa vesicae biliaris, tunica serosa vesicae felleae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| small gallbladder | <radiology> Chronic cholecystitis, cystic fibrosis (seen in 30-50% of CF patients), congenital anomaly (multiseptate, hypoplastic) Cf: large gall bladder (12 Dec 1998) |
| neck of gallbladder | The narrow portion between the body of the gallbladder and beginning of the cystic duct. Synonym: collum vesicae biliaris, collum vesicae felleae. (05 Mar 2000) |
| strawberry gallbladder | A gallbladder of which the mucosa is dotted with yellowish cholesterol deposits contrasting with the red hyperaemic background. (05 Mar 2000) |
| diffuse gallbladder wall thickening | <radiology> Criterion: gall bladder wall greater than 3 mm may appear thicker due to surrounding ascites, cholecystitis (acute or chronic), non-fasting state, chronic hypoalbuminaemia, hepatitis, congestive heart failure, fat in gall bladder fossa Cf: focal thickening (12 Dec 1998) |
| inflammatory gallbladder disease | <radiology> Post-bulbar ulcer, Crohn disease, TB, Strongyloides, pancreatitis / cholecystitis (12 Dec 1998) |
| empyema of gallbladder | Severe acute cholecystitis with purulent inflammation of the gallbladder. Latent empyema, the presence of pus in a cavity, especially one of the accessory sinuses, unattended by subjective symptoms. Synonym: empyema benignum. Loculated empyema, pyothorax in which pleural adhesions form one or more pockets containing pus. (05 Mar 2000) |
| focal gallbladder wall thickening | <radiology> Primary gall bladder carcinoma, adenomyomatosis / hyperplastic cholecystosis, adenomatous polyps, papillary adenomas, metastatic nodules, cholesterol polyps (associated with acoustic shadowing), metachromatic leukodystrophy (rare!) See also: diffuse thickening (12 Dec 1998) |
| large gallbladder | <radiology> Courvoisier phenomenon, neoplasm of pancreatic head, distal common bile duct, papilla, hydrops, empyema, vagotomy, diabetes (20% of DM patients) Cf: small gall bladder (12 Dec 1998) |
| fossa for gallbladder | A depression on the visceral surface of the liver anteriorly, between the quadrate and the right lobes, lodging the gallbladder. Synonym: fossa vesicae biliaris, gallbladder fossa. (05 Mar 2000) |