The V-shaped artifact of the gallbladder wall.
Among 20,000 patients who had undergone abdominal or gallbladder sonographic examinations, 36 had a short V-shaped artifact originating from an hyperechoic focus in the gallbladder wall. Associated symptoms were varied and nonspecific. The 10 gallbladders excised because of associated cholelithiasis showed a thickened wall, and seven patients had diverticulosis of the wall with impacted stones. In vitro sonographic examination of five gallbladders reproduced the "V" artifact and showed that it originated from a small intramural cholesterol stone. The V artifact should be distinguished from the larger comet-tail and ring-down artifacts, which arise from metal or gas.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology*; D005705:Gallbladder Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014463:Ultrasonography