title: Oedema of gallbladder wall: correlation with chronic hepatitis B on MR imaging.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to characterise gallbladder wall oedema and correlate it with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-seven patients who were clinically and histologically diagnosed with CHB and 18 healthy individuals without any history of liver disease underwent abdominal MR imaging. Hepatic inflammation (grade 0-4) and fibrosis (stage 0-4) for patients were assessed histologically. Gallbladder wall oedema was noted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twelve patients showed gallbladder wall oedema on MR imaging, including six with grade 3 and six with grade 4 disease. There was a statistically significant difference for the presence of gallbladder wall oedema among groups with grade 0-4 (p=0.000), but not between groups with grades 3 and 4 (p=0.729). Gallbladder wall oedema was related to moderate-severe inflammatory activity (p<0.05), alanine transaminase (ALT) (p=0.012) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (p=0.027) levels but not to fibrosis or other laboratory data, including serum quantitative DNA for hepatitis B virus (HBV), with the p=0.105-0.846. Sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of hepatic moderate-severe inflammation using gallbladder wall oedema were 33.33% and 100%, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gallbladder wall oedema for patients with CHB can be specifically demonstrated on MR imaging and is correlated with hepatic moderate-severe inflammatory activity, elevated ALT and AST levels but not with fibrosis or other laboratory data, including viremia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Luzhou Medical College, Luzhou, Sichuan, 646000, People's Republic of China, shujiannc@163.com.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shu
authors.forename: Jian Nong
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Fu Gang
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Guang Cai
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Yin Deng
authors.initials: YD
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003287:Contrast Media; D004487:Edema / Q000821:virology*; D005260:Female; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA; D005705:Gallbladder Diseases / Q000821:virology*; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008111:Liver Function Tests; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D003287:Contrast Media; D019786:Gadolinium DTPA