SONOGRAPHY OF GALLBLADDER ABNORMALITIES IN ACROMEGALY PATIENTS FOLLOWING OCTREOTIDE AND URSODIOL THERAPY - INCIDENCE AND TIME-COURSE

Purpose. We studied the effects of octreotide and ursodiol on the gall bladders of patients with acromegaly. Methods. We performed gallbladde r sonography in patients with acromegaly at various intervals during t reatment. Group I (18 patients) was treated with subcutaneous injectio ns of the somatostatin analogue octreotide. Group II (10 patients) was treated with ursodiol while receiving octreotide therapy. Results. Se venty-eight percent of patients receiving octreotide developed gallbla dder abnormalities: sludge in 72% (13/18) and calculi in 39% (7/18). U rsodiol reversed the gallbladder abnormalities in 7 of 10 patients. Co nclusions. A majority of patients receiving octreotide develop gallbla dder abnormalities. Ursodiol appears to reverse the abnormalities in m ost cases. (C) 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.