The importance of appropriate frequency selection in sonographic gallstone detection.
A prospective study was performed on 161 patients referred for gallbladder ultrasound to determine whether routine use of a 5 MHz probe in addition to a standard 3.5 MHz probe provided useful additional information. Seventy-two patients were found to have gallstones. In 26.4% of these patients (19 cases) a confident diagnosis of gallstones was possible only when the 5 MHz probe was used. These results confirm theoretical assertions on the value of high-frequency probes in the evaluation of superficially located organs such as the gallbladder. Our findings lend support to their routine use in cholecystosonography.
Colhoun
E N
EN
Fitzgerald
E J
EJ
McKnight
L
L
D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography / Q000379:methods*