VARIABILITY OF GALLBLADDER EMPTYING AFTER ORAL-STIMULATION

Background: To date, the intraindividual reproducibility of fasting an d postprandial gallbladder (GB) volumes has not been established satis factorily. Hence we examined the variability of postprandial GB motili ty, using the biplane Simpson method as a new sonographic tool for GB volume determination. Methods: The biplane Simpson method was validate d in vitro and in vivo and compared with the sum-of-cylinders method. Thereafter, postprandial GB emptying after a defined test meal was exa mined in 10 healthy volunteers over 108 min on days 1, 31, and 61. Res ults: The results of the biplane Simpson method correlated with real v olumes (r = 0.99) and provided a intra- and inter-observer variation o f less than 5%. Intraindividually, differences in fasting GB volume ra nged from 1.9 to 24.0 mi within the observation period. The patterns o f GB emptying also showed fluctuations characterized by a rather large interindividual and intraindividual variability. Conclusions: The bip lane Simpson method is a reliable tool for measuring GB volumes. The f asting and the postprandial GB volumes vary considerably within indivi duals when measured over a period of 2 months.