Usefulness of contrast-enhanced US in the diagnosis of acute gangrenous cholecystitis: A comparative study with surgical and pathological findings

Acute gallbladder pathologies beyond uncomplicated cholecystitis

The gallbladder can be affected by various acute conditions beyond uncomplicated cholecystitis, with the prevalence of gallstones having risen over the past three decades. Management of biliary diseases is complex and necessitates careful case-by-case consideration. Radiologic imaging plays a crucial role in the evaluation, diagnosis, and management planning of biliary pathologies. This review explores acute gallbladder conditions such as simple cholecystitis, gangrenous cholecystitis, emphysematous cholecystitis, hemorrhagic cholecystitis, perforated cholecystitis, gallbladder fistulas, gallstone ileus, Bouveret syndrome, Mirizzi syndrome, gallbladder herniation, volvulus, trauma, pseudoaneurysm, portal venous thrombosis, and gallbladder carcinoma. It highlights the utility of various imaging modalities including ultrasound, CT, dual-energy CT, MRI, and MRCP in diagnosing these conditions. Advancements in imaging techniques have enhanced the ability to detect and characterize gallbladder diseases, facilitating timely surgical interventions and improving patient outcomes. This review emphasizes the importance of close collaboration between radiologists and clinicians to optimize diagnosis and management strategies, underscoring the indispensable role of radiologic imaging in modern medicine.

Contrast-enhanced guided endoscopic ultrasound procedures

Contrast-enhanced endoscopic ultrasound (CH-EUS) can overcome the limitations of endoscopic ultrasound-guided acquisition by identifying microvessels inside inhomogeneous tumours and improving the characterization of these tumours. Despite the initial enthusiasm that oriented needle sampling under CH-EUS guidance could provide better diagnostic yield in pancreatic solid lesions, further studies did not confirm the supplementary values in cases of tissue acquisition guided by CH-EUS. This review details the knowledge based on the available data on contrast-guided procedures. The indications for CH-EUS tissue acquisition include isoechoic EUS lesions with poor visible delineation where CH-EUS can differentiate the lesion vascularisation from the surrounding parenchyma and also the mural nodules within biliopancreatic cystic lesions, which occur in select cases. Additionally, the roles of CH-EUS-guided therapy in patients whose pancreatic fluid collections or bile ducts that have an echogenic content have indications for drainage, and patients who have nonvisualized vessels that need to be highlighted via Doppler EUS are presented. Another indication is represented if there is a need for an immediate assessment of the post-radiofrequency ablation of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours, in which case CH-EUS can be used to reveal the incomplete tumour destruction.

A novel biomarker in acute cholecystitis: YKL-40

BACKGROUND

The lack of a specific biomarker that can be used in the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis, a common cause of admission to the emergency department, delays physician efforts to diagnose and treat these patients. Therefore, the aim of this study was to measure plasma YKL-40 levels and investigate their diagnostic value in patients with acute cholecystitis (AC).

METHODS

This study was carried out between February 2020 and September 2020 in the adult emergency department of a tertiary university hospital. Permission was obtained from the Ethics Committee of Scientific Research on 03/02/2020 with Decision No. 03/16. The study included 80 patients who were diagnosed with acute cholecystitis and 80 healthy volunteers without known chronic diseases.

RESULTS

The median YKL-40 protein level was 798.66 pq/mL in the patient group and 392.45 pq/mL in the control group. A statistically significant difference in YKL-40 protein levels was found between the two groups. YKL-40 protein levels were significantly higher in patients diagnosed with acute cholecystitis than in healthy individuals (p < 0.001). A positive correlation was found between YKL-40 protein levels and ALT, AST, LDH, and GGT levels (r = 0.272, p = 0.015; r = 0.397, p < 0.001; r = 0.386, p < 0.001; and r = 0.264, p = 0.018; respectively).

CONCLUSION

When evaluated together with physical examination, radiological imaging and other laboratory parameters, we think that plasma YKL-40 levels can be used effectively in the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis.

Asymptomatic gangrenous cholecystitis diagnosed using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in a patient with pancreatic cancer

A 72-year-old female without abdominal symptoms visited our hospital for routine follow-up while undergoing pancreatic cancer treatment (using TS-1). Her vital signs were normal, and her abdomen was soft and non-tender. Blood test revealed elevated C-reactive protein levels with normal white blood cell count. Computed tomography was performed for follow-up of pancreatic cancer. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed partial discontinuity and irregular thickness of the gallbladder wall; however, a definitive diagnosis was not obtained due to unclear imaging. Contrast-enhanced transabdominal ultrasonography revealed intraluminal membranes in the gallbladder and a perfusion defect at the bottom, indicating gangrenous cholecystitis. Surgical resection was performed, and pathological examination showed severe necrosis of the gallbladder wall, consistent with the findings of contrast-enhanced transabdominal ultrasonography.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound of the spleen, pancreas and gallbladder in children

Gray-scale and color/power Doppler ultrasound (US) are the first-line imaging modalities to evaluate the spleen, gallbladder and pancreas in children. The increasing use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) as a reliable and safe method to evaluate liver lesions in the pediatric population promises potential for imaging other internal organs. Although CEUS applications of the spleen, gallbladder and pancreas have been well described in adults, they have not been fully explored in children. In this manuscript, we present an overview of the applications of CEUS for normal variants and diseases affecting the spleen, gallbladder and pancreas. We highlight a variety of cases as examples of how CEUS can serve in the diagnosis and follow-up for such diseases in children. Our discussion includes specific examination techniques; presentation of the main imaging findings in various benign and malignant lesions of the spleen, gallbladder and pancreas in children; and acknowledgment of the limitations of CEUS for these organs.

The Role of Contrast-Enhanced Harmonic Endoscopic Ultrasound in Interventional Endoscopic Ultrasound

Over the last decades, contrast-enhanced harmonic endoscopic ultrasound (CH-EUS) has emerged as an important diagnostic tool for the diagnosis and differentiation of several gastrointestinal diseases. The key advantage of CH-EUS is that the influx and washout of contrast in the target lesion can be observed in real time, accurately depicting microvasculature. CH-EUS is established as an evidence-based technique complementary to B-mode EUS to differentiate solid appearing structures, to characterize mass lesions, and to improve the staging of gastrointestinal and pancreatobiliary cancer. In the last few years, interest has increased in the use of CH-EUS in interventional procedures such as tissue acquisition, tumor ablation, biliary drainage, and the management of pancreatic fluid collections. The aim of this narrative review is to evaluate the available evidence and future expectations of CH-EUS in interventional EUS.

Acute cholecystitis in recent lung transplant patients: a single-institution series of 10 cases

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical and imaging findings of acute cholecystitis in recent lung transplant patients.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed all abdominal ultrasounds and computed tomography (CT) scans of patients who developed acute cholecystitis in the early postoperative period following lung transplantation from November 2014 to December 2020 in a tertiary care university hospital.

RESULTS

Ten patients (4.4%) were included in this series (6 male, mean age 62.9 years ± 2.1 [standard deviation]) of a total 227 lung transplant patients performed from November 2014 to December 2020 (172 unilateral and 55 bilateral). Nine (90%) patients received a double-lung transplant and seven (70%) required extracorporeal circulation during surgery. Acute cholecystitis occurred during the initial admission for lung transplantation (average of 33 ± 25.9 days post-transplantation). Six patients (60%) died during admission with an average of 24.3 ± 21.8 days after cholecystectomy. The most frequent imaging findings were gallbladder wall discontinuity or decreased gallbladder mural enhancement (100%, 10 patients) and gallbladder distension (90%, 9 patients). All acute cholecystitis were found to be ischemic / gangrenous at surgery and/or pathology, 40% (4 patients) were hemorrhagic and 30% (3 patients) were perforated, one of them with a cholecystoduodenal fistula. Fungal cholecystitis was demonstrated at histological exam in one patient.

CONCLUSION

Acute cholecystitis in the early postoperative period after lung transplantation is an important cause of morbidity and mortality. Ischemic or gangrenous cholecystitis prevails. The key imaging findings are parietal perfusion defects and gallbladder distension, which can easily go unnoticed if not specifically looked for.

Surgeon-performed point-of-care ultrasound for acute cholecystitis: indications and limitations: a European Society for Trauma and Emergency Surgery (ESTES) consensus statement

BACKGROUND

Acute cholecystitis (AC), frequently responsible for presentation to the emergency department, requires expedient diagnosis and definitive treatment by a general surgeon. Ultrasonography, usually performed by radiology technicians and reported by radiologists, is the first-line imaging study for the assessment of AC. Targeted point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS), particularly in the hands of the treating surgeon, may represent an evolution in surgical decision-making and may expedite care, reducing morbidity and cost.

METHODS

This consensus guideline was written under the auspices of the European Society of Trauma and Emergency Surgery (ESTES) by the POCUS working group. A systematic literature search identified relevant papers on the diagnosis and treatment of AC. Literature was critically-appraised according to the GRADE evidence-based guideline development method. Following a consensus conference at the European Congress of Trauma & Emergency Surgery (Valencia, Spain, May 2018), final recommendations were approved by the working group, using a modified e-Delphi process, and taking into account the level of evidence of the conclusion.

RECOMMENDATIONS

We strongly recommend the use of ultrasound as the first-line imaging investigation for the diagnosis of AC; specifically, we recommend that POCUS may be adopted as the primary imaging adjunct to surgeon-performed assessment of the patient with suspected AC. In line with the Tokyo guidelines, we strongly recommend Murphy's sign, in conjunction with the presence of gallstones and/or wall thickening as diagnostic of AC in the correct clinical context. We conditionally recommend US as a preoperative predictor of difficulty of cholecystectomy. There is insufficient evidence to recommend contrast-enhanced ultrasound or Doppler ultrasonography in the diagnosis of AC. We conditionally recommend the use of ultrasound to guide percutaneous cholecystostomy placement by appropriately-trained practitioners.

CONCLUSIONS

Surgeons have recently embraced POCUS to expedite diagnosis of AC and provide rapid decision-making and early treatment, streamlining the patient pathway and thereby reducing costs and morbidity.

Management of acute cholecystitis

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Various aspects of the management of acute calculous cholecystitis, including type and timing of surgery, role of antibiotics, and nonoperative management, remain controversial. This review focuses on recently published studies addressing the timing of cholecystectomy, use of cholecystostomy tubes, and role of antibiotics in this condition.

RECENT FINDINGS

In most cases, the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis can be initially confirmed with an abdominal ultrasound. Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy (within 24-72 h of symptom onset) is better than delayed surgery (>7 days) for most patients with grade I and II diseases. Percutaneous cholecystostomy and novel endoscopic gallbladder drainage interventions may be used as a temporizing measure or as definitive therapy in those who are too sick to undergo surgery. Studies are conflicting as to whether antibiotics are required for the treatment of uncomplicated cases.

SUMMARY

Cholecystectomy remains the only definitive therapy for acute cholecystitis. Current guidelines recommend treatment on the basis of disease severity at presentation. Antibiotics and a variety of minimally invasive nonsurgical interventions, although not definitive, play an adjunctive role in the management of the disease.