The blood flow velocity in the wall of the gallbladder is an indicator of the degree of inflammation in acute cholecystitis.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether gallbladder wall blood flow velocity reflected the degree of inflammation, these were measured in 2 acute cholecystitis groups treated with percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder aspiration (PTGBA) or antibiotics alone.


METHODS
Six patients underwent PTGBA and 5 patients were treated conservatively. Clinical indicators of systemic inflammation and blood flow velocity in the gallbladder wall were determined. The resistance index (RI) was calculated.


RESULTS
In the PTGBA group, maximum blood flow (Vmax) decreased sharply the day after PTGBA and remained at a low level thereafter. In the conservative group, the Vmax did not significantly fall until 7 days after the therapy. The RI was significantly decreased on the first to third day after PTGBA but not thereafter. In the conservative group, the RI was not significantly changed throughout the period.


CONCLUSIONS
The gallbladder wall blood flow velocity indicated the degree of inflammation in the acute cholecystitis patients. The RI of the blood flow in the gallbladder wall may also be an effective method of monitoring gallbladder inflammation.
Yamashita
Hirotaka
H
First Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Ehime University, Japan. hiroy@m.ehime-u.ac.jp
Hachisuka
Yasuki
Y
Kotegawa
Hiroshi
H
Fukuhara
Toshiyuki
T
Kobayashi
Nobuaki
N
D000368:Aged; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity; D001831:Body Temperature; D041881:Cholecystitis, Acute / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods*; D013396:Suction; D018615:Ultrasonography, Doppler, Color
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents