TEMPORARY FAILURE OF GALLBLADDER VISUALIZATION BY CHOLECYSTOGRAPHY IN ACUTE PANCREATITIS

Abstract

In a selected group of 28 patients who had cholecystograms made during the acute phase of illness with acute pancreatitis the gallbladder visualized normally in 12 cases and failed to visualize in 16 cases. In six patients in the latter group the failure of the gallbladder to visualize during the acute illness was temporary, and additional cholecystograms made after the acute pancreatitis had subsided gave normal visualization of the gallbladder. In five other patients the gallbladder failed to visualize during the episode of acute pancreatitis but the gallbladder was found to be normal at operation. In the remaining five cases in which the gallbladder did not visualize during acute pancreatitis no follow-up cholecystography or operation was done. Explanation of this phenomenon of temporary failure of visualization of the apparently normal gallbladder in this selected group of patients with acute pancreatitis is not apparent.