The correlation between ultrasonography and histology in the search for gallstones

Early prediction of gallstone disease with a machine learning-based method from bioimpedance and laboratory data

Gallstone disease (GD) is a common gastrointestinal disease. Although traditional diagnostic techniques, such as ultrasonography, CT, and MRI, detect gallstones, they have some limitations, including high cost and potential inaccuracies in certain populations. This study proposes a machine learning-based prediction model for gallstone disease using bioimpedance and laboratory data. A dataset of 319 samples, comprising161 gallstone patients and 158 healthy controls, was curated. The dataset comprised 38 attributes of the participants, including age, weight, height, blood test results, and bioimpedance data, and it contributed to the literature on gallstones as a new dataset. State-of-the-art machine learning techniques were performed on the dataset to detect gallstones. The experimental results showed that vitamin D, C-reactive protein (CRP) level, total body water, and lean mass are crucial features, and the gradient boosting technique achieved the highest accuracy (85.42%) in predicting gallstones. The proposed technique offers a viable alternative to conventional imaging techniques for early prediction of gallstone disease.

Huge solitary gallstone complicated with liver cirrhosis in a middle-aged woman: case report

Background

Gallstones are increasingly becoming a common diagnosis in hospitals across the continents, with predominance in women. Patients suspected of a gallstone disease require thorough evaluation including endoscopic ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging, or magnetic resonance cholangiography. A delayed or missed diagnosis is associated with serious complications and poor prognosis.

Case presentation

A 44-year-old female patient presented with fever, vomiting, hypochondria, and epigastric pain for 10 days. Clinical examination showed jaundice and tenderness at the right hypochondriac region. Blood analysis revealed elevated bilirubin, alkaline phosphatase, and white blood cells. The patient was sent for a computed tomography (CT) scan which showed a grossly enlarged liver about 17.2 cm in length and a hypo-attenuating mass in the gallbladder fossa that enhanced moderately and heterogeneously following intravenous contrast administration. Dilated intrahepatic biliary ducts were also appreciated. Explorative laparotomy was performed and revealed an enlarged, cirrhotic-appearing liver, a thickened gallbladder, and a whitish-yellow gallstone about 3 cm in the largest diameter situated at its neck. No isolated tumour was found.

Clinical discussion

Although gallstone disease is very common, misdiagnosis still occurs especially in low and lower-middle-income countries. Inadequate evaluation and increased utilization of CT in emergency and surgical departments are the contributing factors for a missed diagnosis.

Conclusions

A missed gallstone disease occurs due to various factors including inappropriate standard operating procedures, which set a CT scan as the first imaging test for all internal conditions. This case report presents the appropriate approach to achieving the diagnosis of a gallstone disease before surgical intervention.

Gallstone Disease and Its Association With Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality

BACKGROUND & AIMS

Presence of gallstone disease may influence outcomes in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We studied the impact of gallstone disease on mortality in individuals with and without NAFLD.

METHODS

Prospective cohort study used the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1988-1994) with mortality data through 2015. Gallstone disease was defined as ultrasonographic evidence of gallstones or absence of the gallbladder (prior cholecystectomy). NAFLD was defined using standardized ultrasonographic criteria.

RESULTS

Gallstone disease and cholecystectomy were independently associated with NAFLD (odds ratio [OR], 1.75; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.43-2.15 for gallstone disease and OR, 2.77; 95% CI, 2.01-3.83 for cholecystectomy compared with no gallstone disease). During the median follow-up of 23 years, gallstone disease was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.19; 95% CI, 1.05-1.37) and cause-specific mortality. Gallstone disease was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality in non-NAFLD sub-cohort (HR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.23-1.64) but not in NAFLD (HR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.87-1.22). Gallstone disease was associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular-related (HR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.10-1.78) and cancer-related (HR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.18-2.48) mortality in non-NAFLD sub-cohort. Gallstone disease was associated with increased cardiovascular mortality (HR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.05-1.77) in NAFLD.

CONCLUSIONS

Gallstone disease is an independent risk factor for NAFLD, but gallstone disease is not associated with all-cause mortality in individuals with NAFLD. Screening for gallstone disease in individuals at risk for developing NAFLD may help with risk stratification for all-cause mortality related to gallstone disease.

The Need for Standardizing Diagnosis, Treatment and Clinical Care of Cholecystitis and Biliary Colic in Gallbladder Disease

Gallstones affect 20% of the Western population and will grow in clinical significance as obesity and metabolic diseases become more prevalent. Gallbladder removal (cholecystectomy) is a common treatment for diseases caused by gallstones, with 1.2 million surgeries in the US each year, each costing USD 10,000. Gallbladder disease has a significant impact on the logistics and economics of healthcare. We discuss the two most common presentations of gallbladder disease (biliary colic and cholecystitis) and their pathophysiology, risk factors, signs and symptoms. We discuss the factors that affect clinical care, including diagnosis, treatment outcomes, surgical risk factors, quality of life and cost-efficacy. We highlight the importance of standardised guidelines and objective scoring systems in improving quality, consistency and compatibility across healthcare providers and in improving patient outcomes, collaborative opportunities and the cost-effectiveness of treatment. Guidelines and scoring only exist in select areas of the care pathway. Opportunities exist elsewhere in the care pathway.

[Temporal sequence of bile duct clearance with simultaneous cholecystolithiasis or choledocholithiasis-Preoperative, intraoperative or postoperative?]

Approximately 10% of patients with symptomatic cholecystolithiasis also have choledocholithiasis. The probability of this can be estimated on the basis of sonographic and laboratory chemistry parameters. If the probability is high, endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) or cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) should be performed and if the probability is low, cholecystectomy can be performed without further diagnostics. If the findings are equivocal, further work-up should be performed to detect or exclude choledocholithiasis by endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) or magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP). If choledocholithiasis is detected, it can be treated by ERC preoperatively, intraoperatively or postoperatively or alternatively by laparoscopic cholangiography. Regarding the temporal sequence, there is no clear advantage of a specific time point; however, considering the high availability of ERCP in German-speaking countries, preoperative clearance of choledocholithiasis seems reasonable. With respect to the time interval between clearance of choledocholithiasis and cholecystectomy, a number of multicenter studies and a meta-analysis have shown that a short time interval or a procedure during the same period of hospitalization is advantageous.

Usefulness of endoscopic ultrasound in patients with minilithiasis and/or biliary sludge as a cause of symptoms of probable biliary origin after cholecystectomy

INTRODUCTION

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) is a more sensitive technique than transabdominal ultrasound for the diagnosis of gallstones. This greater sensitivity, especially in the diagnosis of microlithiasis/biliary sludge, facilitates the indication of cholecystectomy in patients with symptoms of probable biliary origin but may result in over-indication of this surgery.

OBJECTIVES

Evaluate the role of EUS in the diagnosis of minilithiasis/biliary sludge in patients with digestive symptoms of probable biliary origin by resolving the symptoms after cholecystectomy. Analyse factors related to the remission of symptoms following cholecystectomy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Retrospective, longitudinal, single-centre study based on a prospective database of 1.121 patients undergoing EUS. Seventy-four patients were identified as meeting inclusion-exclusion criteria (diagnosed with minilithiasis/sludge by EUS after presenting digestive symptoms of probable biliary origin without a history of complicated cholelithiasis). A telephone questionnaire for symptoms was conducted with cholecystectomized patients. Factors related to a good response were analysed with logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

Of the 74 patients, 50 were cholecystectomized (67.5%), mean age 49 years (SEM 2.26) (41 women). Seventy percent of patients (35/50) presented remission of symptoms with median follow-up 353.5 days (95% CI, 270-632.2). The only variable associated with remission of symptoms was the presence of typical biliary colic with an OR of 7.8 (95% CI, 1.8-34; p=0.006). No complications associated with EUS were recorded. One patient (2%) suffered haemoperitoneum and 18% (9/50) suffered diarrhoea following cholecystectomy.

CONCLUSIONS

EUS is a very useful technique for the indication of cholecystectomy in patients with minilithiasis/sludge and typical symptoms of biliary colic.

Clinical acupuncture therapy for chronic cholecystitis: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT

Chronic cholecystitis is a common chronic disease in clinical practice. The incidence of chronic cholecystitis is gradually increasing due to changes in eating habits and even if acute infections aren't treated in time, it can cause serious complications, continue to plague people's daily life and become an economic burden to society. Currently, the curative effect of chronic cholecystitis under the control of western medicine is still lacking and there are adverse reactions. However, based on current clinical controlled trials acupuncture therapy for chronic cholecystitis has gradually become a complementary treatment. Therefore, this systematic review aims to explore the safety and feasibility of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of chronic cholecystitis.

METHODS

We will search the following databases: Medline, PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Embase, Chinese Biomedical Literatures Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wang Fang Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database from inception to February 2021 without any language restriction. At the same time, relevant literature will be searched manually. The main search terms include: "Acupuncture," "Cholecystitis." Data entry will be completed by 2 researchers separately. After entry, cross-checking will be performed to ensure the authenticity of the information. The main outcome criteria include: including the total effective rate of the patient; the traditional Chinese medicine symptom score of the patient includes: abdominal pain, tenderness in the right upper abdomen, and so on; secondary outcome criteria include: gallbladder contraction function and gallbladder thickness, VAS scores, recurrence rate, adverse reactions; use Cochrane risk bias assessment to evaluate and score the included randomized controlled trial; meta-analysis will be performed using RevMan 5.4.0 software. The heterogeneity test is based on the thresholds of P and I2, In order to use solid or random effects models.

RESULTS

This systematic review only evaluates the safety and limitations of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of chronic cholecystitis. We will report the full text in the near future.

CONCLUSION

This study will explore the safety and limitations of acupuncture therapy in the treatment of chronic cholecystitis, so that acupuncture therapy will be more widely used clinically.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

INPLASY202120020.

Cholecystectomy for Complicated Gallbladder and Common Biliary Duct Stones: Current Surgical Management

Gallstone disease accounts for the vast majority of acute surgical admissions in the UK, with a major treatment being cholecystectomy. Practice varies significantly as to whether surgery is performed during the acute symptomatic phase, or after a period of recovery. Differences in practice relate to operative factors, patient factors, surgeon factors and hospital and trust wide policies. In this review we summarize recent evidence on management of gallstone disease, particularly with respect to whether cholecystectomy should occur during index presentation or following recovery. We highlight morbidity and mortality studies, cost, and patient reported outcomes. We speculate on barriers to change in service delivery. Finally, we propose potential solutions to optimize care.

The Treatment of Gallstone Disease

BACKGROUND

Gallstone disease affects up to 20% of the European population, and cholelithiasis is the most common reason for hospitalization in gastroenterology.

METHODS

This review is based on pertinent publications retrieved by a selective search of the literature, including the German clinical practice guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of gallstones and corresponding guidelines from abroad.

RESULTS

Regular physical activity and an appropriate diet are the most important measures for the prevention of gallstone disease. Transcutaneous ultrasonography is the paramount method of diagnosing gallstones. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography should only be carried out as part of a planned therapeutic intervention; endosonography beforehand lessens the number of endoscopic retrograde cholangiographies that need to be performed. Cholecystectomy is indicated for patients with symptomatic gallstones or sludge. This should be performed laparoscopically with a four-trocar technique, if possible. Routine perioperative antibiotic prophylaxis is not necessary. Cholecystectomy can be performed in any trimester of pregnancy, if urgently indicated. Acute cholecystitis is an indication for early laparoscopic cholecystectomy within 24 hours of admission to hospital. After successful endoscopic clearance of the biliary pathway, patients who also have cholelithiasis should undergo laparoscopic cholecystectomy within 72 hours.

CONCLUSION

The timing of treatment for gallstone disease is an essential determinant of therapeutic success.

Transabdominal Ultrasonography in Symptomatic Choledocholithiasis - Usefulness in Settings with Limited Resources

Objective:

Ultrasonography remains the initial imaging modality in the management of biliary disease. This study is designed to evaluate the accuracy of transabdominal ultrasonography in diagnosing biliary pathology in patients with choledocholithiasis.

Methods:

This was a retrospective study of a continuous sample of patients over a period of 3 years ending in January 2016; these patients were referred for endoscopic management of choledocholithiasis to a tertiary care hospital in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Ultrasound reporting was carried out by different consultant radiologists at both the index and the referring hospitals. The findings of endoscopic retrograde cholangiograms were compared with the ultrasound scan (USS) results.

Results:

A total of 247 patients were included in the study. USS was 97.4% accurate in detecting intrahepatic duct dilatation (IHDD). Stone counts and the location of stone(s) in the USSs correlated strongly with the number of stones delivered during endoscopic removal and their location in cholangiograms (P < 0.001). The difference in mean diameter of the common bile duct (CBD) of patients with choledochal cysts (CCs) (18.57 mm) and of patients without them (12.39 mm) is statistically significant (P < 0.001). At 14.5 mm, the negative predictive value for a CC is 99.02%.

Conclusion:

Ultrasonography is a reliable tool in predicting IHDD, stone count, and the location of stones in the biliary tree, particularly in a resource-poor setting. A CBD diameter of 14.5 mm in transabdominal ultrasound scan can be used as a cutoff for predicting extrahepatic CC.

Acute Pancreatitis: Etiology, Pathology, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Acute pancreatitis is a fascinating disease. In the United States, the two most common etiologies of acute pancreatitis are gallstones and excessive alcohol consumption. The diagnosis of acute pancreatitis is made with a combination of history, physical examination, computed tomography scan, and laboratory evaluation. Differentiating patients who will have a benign course of their pancreatitis from patients who will have severe pancreatitis is challenging to the clinician. C-reactive protein, pro-calcitonin, and the Bedside Index for Severity of Acute Pancreatitis appeared to be the best tools for the early and accurate diagnosis of severe pancreatitis. Early laparoscopic cholecystectomy is indicated for patients with mild gallstone pancreatitis. For patients who are going to have a prolonged hospitalization, enteral nutrition is preferred. Total parenteral nutrition should be reserved for patients who cannot tolerate enteral nutrition. Prophylactic antibiotics are not indicated for patients with pancreatic necrosis. Surgical intervention for infected pancreatic necrosis should be delayed as long as possible to improve patient outcomes.

COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PREOPERATIVE ULTRASONOGRAPHY REPORTS WITH INTRAOPERATIVE SURGICAL FINDINGS IN CHOLELITHIASIS

Background:

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is widely used for cholelithiasis. Abdominal ultrasonography often precedes this operation and can prove diagnosis, as well as helps in showing possible complications during the perioperative period.

Aim:

Evaluate the description of variables of gallbladder and bile ducts present in reports of preoperative abdominal ultrasonography in cholelithiasis comparing with surgical findings.

Methods:

Were studied 91 patients who underwent elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy with previous abdominal ultrasonography. Variables such as identification and amount of gallstones involved were evaluated, both in preoperative ultrasonography and during surgery to evaluate sensitivity, specificity, concordance and positive and negative predictive values.

Results:

The reports did not mention diameter of vesicular light (98.9%), organ distension (62.6%), gallstone sizes (58.2%), wall thickness (41.8%) and evaluation of the common bile duct (39.6%). Ultrasound had high values for sensitivity, consistency and positive predictive value for identifying the presence/absence of gallstones: 98.8%, 96.7% and 97.8% respectively. As for the amount of stones, ultrasonography showed agreement in 82.7%, negative predictive value in 89.1% and specificity in 87.7%, with lower values for sensitivity (68.2%) and positive predictive value (65.2%).

Conclusions:

The ultrasound reports were flawed in standardization. Significant percentage of them did not have variables that could predict perioperative complications and surgical conversion.

My patient has got abdominal pain: identifying biliary problems

Right upper quadrant and epigastric abdominal pain are common presenting complaints in the emergency department. With increasing access to point-of-care ultrasound, emergency physicians now have an added tool to help identify biliary problems as a cause of a patient's right upper quadrant pain. Point-of-care ultrasound has a sensitivity of 89.8% (95% CI 86.4-92.5%) and specificity of 88.0% (83.7-91.4%) for cholelithiasis, very similar to radiology-performed ultrasonography. In addition to assessment for cholelithiasis and cholecystitis, point-of-care ultrasound can help emergency physicians to determine whether the biliary system is the source of infection in patients with suspected sepsis. Use of point-of-care ultrasound for the assessment of the biliary system has resulted in more rapid diagnosis, decreasing costs, and shorter emergency department length of stay.

Liver function test abnormalities after traumatic brain injury: is hepato-biliary ultrasound a sensitive diagnostic tool?

BACKGROUND

This study was to evaluate the usefulness of hepato-biliary ultrasound (HBUS) for the investigation of isolated liver function tests (LFTs) abnormalities.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed HBUS reports in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients admitted to our tertiary neuro-critical care unit (NCCU; January 2005-June 2011). We included patients receiving an HBUS for isolated LFTs derangement, excluding pre-existing hepato-biliary diseases or trauma. We assessed the temporal profile of alanine aminotransferase (ALT), bilirubin (Bil), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP).

RESULTS

Of 511 patients, 58 received an HBUS. Of these, 47 were investigated for isolated LFTs derangement; HBUS always failed to identify a cause for these abnormalities. The HBUS was performed on day 18 (range 6-51) with the following mean values: 246 IU litre(-1) [ALT, 95% confidence interval (CI) 183-308], 24 μmol litre(-1) (Bil, 95% CI 8-40), and 329 IU litre(-1) (ALP, 95% CI 267-390); only ALT (72, 95% CI 36-107) and ALP (73, 95% CI 65-81) were deranged from admission values (both P<0.01). At NCCU discharge, both ALT (160, 95% CI 118-202) and ALP (300, 95% CI 240-360) were higher than at admission (P<0.01). Compared with HBUS-day value, only ALT improved by NCCU discharge (P<0.05), while both were recovering by hospital discharge (ALT 83, 95% CI 59-107; ALP 216, 95% CI 181-251; P<0.01). At hospital discharge, ALP remained higher than at admission (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

In TBI patients, HBUS did not appear sensitive in detecting causes for isolated LFT abnormalities. Both ALT and ALP worsened and gradually recovered. Their abnormalities did not prevent NCCU discharge. ALP recovered more slowly than ALT. TBI and its complications, critical illness, and pharmacological strategies may explain the LFTs derangement.

Concept of the pathogenesis and treatment of cholelithiasis

Gallstone disease (GD) is a chronic recurrent hepatobiliary disease, the basis for which is the impaired metabolism of cholesterol, bilirubin and bile acids, which is characterized by the formation of gallstones in the hepatic bile duct, common bile duct, or gallbladder. GD is one of the most prevalent gastrointestinal diseases with a substantial burden to health care systems. GD can result in serious outcomes, such as acute gallstone pancreatitis and gallbladder cancer. The epidemiology, pathogenesis and treatment of GD are discussed in this review. The prevalence of GD varies widely by region. The prevalence of gallstone disease has increased in recent years. This is connected with a change in lifestyle: reduction of motor activity, reduction of the physical load and changes to diets. One of the important benefits of early screening for gallstone disease is that ultrasonography can detect asymptomatic cases, which results in early treatment and the prevention of serious outcomes. The pathogenesis of GD is suggested to be multifactorial and probably develops from complex interactions between many genetic and environmental factors. It suggests that corticosteroids and oral contraceptives, which contain hormones related to steroid hormones, may be regarded as a model system of cholelithiasis development in man. The achievement in the study of the physiology of bile formation and the pathogenesis of GD has allowed expanding indications for therapeutic treatment of GD.

Acalculous gallbladder disease: the outcomes of treatment by laparoscopic cholecystectomy

INTRODUCTION

The treatment of symptomatic patients with the presence of gallstones is well established, with laparoscopic cholecystectomy being the treatment of choice for symptomatic cholelithiasis. The results of surgery in symptomatic patients without gallstones are highly variable. These patients are often referred to as having acalculous gallbladder disease and represent between 5% and 30% of laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed annually. We retrospectively reviewed the outcomes of patients who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acalculous gallbladder disease in our institution.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively analysed the period from February 2005 to January 2006 where 20 laparoscopic cholecystectomies had been performed specifically for a preoperative diagnosis of acalculous gallbladder disease. The histology of all laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed during this year was analysed and it was found that a further 46 patients had histological specimens that demonstrated the absence of gallstones in the presence of an intact gallbladder specimen. These patients were therefore included in the study group for acalculous gallbladder disease. All patients were sent a questionnaire comparing their state of health before and after surgery.

RESULTS

After laparoscopic cholecystectomy, 66% of patients were completely pain free. The remainder, however, experienced infrequent, moderate pain with occasional pain on eating. Following surgery, all patients were able to conduct their activities of daily living without any limitation.

CONCLUSIONS

We therefore conclude that laparoscopic surgery for patients with acalculous gallbladder disease is effective in symptom control and allowing patients to return to their normal lifestyle.