Ultrasonic evaluation of gallbladder emptying with ceruletide.
In order to develop a practical and reproducible method to assess gallbladder function, gallbladder emptying was studied by ultrasound in 27 gallstone patients after i.m. administration of ceruletide (0.3 micrograms/kg), and the procedure was compared to oral cholecystography with fatty meal. Maximal percent gallbladder contraction was reached in all patients 30 min after ceruletide. Maximal percent contractions were 47.5 +/- 27.7 during ultrasound with ceruletide and 33.9 +/- 16.3 during oral cholecystography with fatty meal (p = 0.03). A significant linear relationship was found between the results obtained with the two different procedures (r = 0.57; p = 0.002). Serial ultrasound determinations of gallbladder emptying were performed in 16 patients. Day-to-day variation was below 20% in 11 subjects, and it ranged between 20 and 40% in 5 subjects. Minor side effects were observed in 9 patients. Ultrasound determination of gallbladder emptying after ceruletide appears to be a practical and reliable method to assess gallbladder function.
Muraca
M
M
Istituto di Medicina Interna, Università di Padova, Italy.
Cianci
V
V
Vilei
M T
MT
Burighel
D
D
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002108:Ceruletide; D002765:Cholecystography; D004041:Dietary Fats; D005260:Female; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000502:physiology; D016473:Gallbladder Emptying / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014463:Ultrasonography
D004041:Dietary Fats; D005765:Gastrointestinal Agents; D002108:Ceruletide