Endoscopic ultrasonography does not differentiate neoplastic from non-neoplastic small gallbladder polyps.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the ability of endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) to differentiate neoplastic from non-neoplastic polypoid lesions of the gallbladder (PLGs).


METHODS
The uses of EUS and transabdominal ultrasonography (US) were retrospectively analyzed in 94 surgical cases of gallbladder polyps less than 20 mm in diameter.


RESULTS
The prevalence of neoplastic lesions with a diameter of 5-10 mm was 17.2% (10/58); 11-15 mm, 15.4% (4/26), and 16-20 mm, 50% (5/10). The overall diagnostic accuracies of EUS and US for small PLGs were 80.9% and 63.9% (P < 0.05), respectively. EUS correctly distinguished 12 (63.2%) of 19 neoplastic PLGs but was less accurate for polyps less than 1.0 cm (4/10, 40%) than for polyps greater than 1.0 cm (8/9, 88.9%) (P = 0.02).


CONCLUSIONS
Although EUS was more accurate than US, its accuracy for differentiating neoplastic from non-neoplastic PLGs less than 1.0 cm was low. Thus, EUS alone is not sufficient for determining a treatment strategy for PLGs of less than 1.0 cm.
Cheon
Young Koog
YK
Institute for Digestive Research and Digestive Disease Center, Soon Chun Hyang University College of Medicine, 657 Hannam-Dong, Yongsan-Ku, Seoul, South Korea. yksky001@hanmail.net
Cho
Won Young
WY
Lee
Tae Hee
TH
Cho
Young Deok
YD
Moon
Jong Ho
JH
Lee
Joon Seong
JS
Shim
Chan Sup
CS
D000328:Adult; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D019160:Endosonography; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011127:Polyps / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012189:Retrospective Studies