title: Profile of gallbladder diseases diagnosed at Afyon Kocatepe University: a retrospective study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Gallbladder is one of the most commonly encountered specimen in a pathology laboratory. A diverse spectrum of diseases affect the biliary system, often presenting with similar clinical signs and symptoms. We aimed to define the profile of gallbladder diseases in our region, and to determine potential correlations between histopathologic features we observed.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed all cholecystectomies processed in Department of Pathology of Afyon Kocatepe University Hospital between January 2000 and March 2008. Gross and histopathologic features of the specimens were reevaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among 1500 patients; 69.9% were women and 30.1% were men. We found out fourteen primary gallbladder carcinomas (0.93%) with adenocarcinomas being the most frequent type (78.57%). The rate of cholelithiasis was found as 89.9%. The most common type of gallstones was mixed cholesterol type gallstones with 67.5% followed by black pigment and brown pigment types as 23.83% and 5.89%, respectively. The association of metaplasia with dysplasia and also gallstones were statistically significant (p < 0.001, p < 0.005). The rate of the gallbladder polyps was 2.6% with the cholesterol polyps being the most common type (56.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gallbladder diseases often present with similar clinical signs and symptoms and a surgical pathologist should be alert especially of precancerous lesions. With our results, we also conclude that elderly women with longstanding gallstone disease should undergo elective surgery even when no symptoms are present.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Afyon Kocatepe University, Faculty of Medicine, Afyonkarahisar, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazlum
authors.forename: Fatma Hüsniye
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Dilek
authors.forename: Arzu Neşe
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Yener
authors.forename: Ciğdem
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tokyol
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aktepe
authors.forename: Osman Nuri
authors.initials: ON
authors.lastname: Dilek
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002769:Cholelithiasis / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005705:Gallbladder Diseases / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011127:Polyps / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult