title: The use of real-time elastography in the assessment of gallbladder polyps: preliminary observations.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Gallbladder polyps often have a benign nature. Current guidelines suggest surgical removal of polyps greater than 10 mm. However, the accuracy of the size criteria is limited because neoplasia can be found in gallbladder polyps less than 10 mm. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of real time elastography for gallbladder polyps and to demonstrate the elasticity properties of the polyps.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-three polypoid lesions of the gallbladder were prospectively examined with real-time elastography. Of these patients, 52 had a diagnosis of benign gallbladder polyps and one patient was accepted as a gallbladder carcinoma due to its clinical and radiological findings. B-mode and real-time elastographic images were simultaneously presented as a two-panel image, and the elastogram was displayed in a color scale that ranged from red (greatest strain, softest component), to green (average strain, intermediate component), to blue (no strain, hardest component).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean size for benign gallbladder polyps was 7.2 +/- 3 mm (range, 5-21 mm). All benign gallbladder polyps on consecutive real-time elastographic images appeared as having a high-strain elastographic pattern. Only one patient who was accepted with gallbladder carcinoma had a gallbladder polyp with low elasticity properties.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study showed that real time elastography of gallbladder polyps is feasible. This novel approach may be useful for the characterization of polypoid lesions of the gallbladder.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Atatürk Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Akif
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Teber
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Atatürk Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. drsinantan@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sinan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Atatürk Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Uğur
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dönmez
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Atatürk Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: İpek
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Atatürk Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ali Erkan
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Uçar
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Atatürk Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Halil
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yıldırım
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Bursa Şevket Yılmaz Education and Research Hospital Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aslan
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Atatürk Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: Halil
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arslan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D054459:Elasticity Imaging Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D005704:Gallbladder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005705:Gallbladder Diseases / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005706:Gallbladder Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011127:Polyps / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D055815:Young Adult