Me. Deutchman et al., MATERNAL GALLBLADDER ASSESSMENT DURING OBSTETRIC ULTRASOUND - RESULTS, SIGNIFICANCE, AND TECHNIQUE, Journal of family practice, 39(1), 1994, pp. 33-37
Background. Gallbladder disease is four times as common in women as in
men, and pregnancy appears to contribute to the development of gallst
ones. During pregnancy, most women receive ultrasound scans, which are
highly sensitive to the detection of gallstones. The purpose of this
study was to examine the additional time and effort required to scan t
he gallblader during obstetric ultrasound scanning. Methods. The mater
nal gallbladder was examined in 228 consecutive obstetric ultrasound s
cans performed for medical indications at any time during pregnancy. S
canning was conducted by family physician faculty located in two unive
rsity settings and one rural private practice. Patients were not requi
red to fast prior to the scan. Results. Gallstones were found in 5.3%
of the patients, and an additional 3.1% had undergone prior cholecyste
ctomy, for an overall incidence of current or previous gallbladder dis
ease among 8.4% of the patients. The gallbladder was visualized in 97.
4% of patients without a previous cholecystectomy. In 95.7% of cases,
obtaining this additional information required less than 2 minutes. Co
nclusions. This study suggests that an evaluation of the maternal gall
bladder at the time of obstetric ultrasound scans can be performed rap
idly without special patient preparation. The study further suggests t
hat obstetric ultrasound skills may allow family physicians to expand
their diagnostic use of ultrasound to include gallbladder evaluation.
Scanning techniques and the clinical significance of having this infor
mation in the patient's medical record arc discussed.