Left lateral decubitus sonography of gallstones in the contracted gallbladder.
A prospective study of the accuracy in diagnosing gallstones using ultrasonography in the absence of a fluid-filled gallbladder was done over a 20 month period; 91 patients were studied. A focal echo complex with acoustic shadowing was shown to be a highly reliable criterion for diagnosing gallstones in a contracted gallbladder when (1) it was demonstrated on longitudinal, transverse, and left lateral decubitus views, and (2) the configuration of the echo complex remained the same.
D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D011187:Posture; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014463:Ultrasonography