To evaluate the correlation between sonographic find ings and characters of gallbladder stones. Sonography and plain radiography were performed on 100 gallstones removed from 47 patients Seventy-three gallbladder stones were cholesterol stones
(pure
cholesterol stone 10, mixed stone 44, combination stone 19), 21 stones were pigment stones (black stones 12, calcium bilirubinate stones 9), and six stones as rare stones.
Sonographic findings of gallstones were classified into two types : type I, surface echo with variable internal echo and clean posterior acoustic shadow, and type II, echo of whole gallstones with posterio, shadow. Type I was divided into four
subtypes
: type Ia semilunar-shaped echo of gallstones. Type : lb, crecenteric shaped echo, type : Ic. Multiple arc-shaped echo, and type : Id, single arc-shaped echo. Type II was divided into two subtypes : typo IIa; echo of whole gallstones with strong
posterior acoustic shadow, and type IIb ; echo of whole gallstones with weak posterior acoustic shadow .AII stones with sonographic type I (73/73) were cholesterol stones and most of the stones with sonographic type II (20/21) were pigment stones
(p<0.001). Stones with type Ia were pure cholesterol stones. Stones with type Ib, Ic, and Id were different types of cholesterol stones and rare stones. Most of the stones with type IIa (88%) were calcium bilirubinate stones. and most of the
stones
with
type IIb (91%) were black stones (p<0.001). Sonographic type of gallstones was not correlated with calcification of stones.
On the basis of our results. We believe that character of gallstones can be predicted by sonographic findings.
Index terms : Gallbladder. calculi 762.289 Ultrasound 13.1298
Journal of Kcrean Society of Medical Ultrasound 1992 ; 11: 5~13
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