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| (Biliary atresia with unusual ultrasonographic findings) |
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| Myung Kwan Lim, M.D., Woo Sun Kim, M.D., In One Kim, M.D., Kyung Mo Yeon, M.D. |
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| Department of Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine |
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| Biliary atresia is a common cause of neonatal jaundice, and ultrasonography is the best initial radiologicalinvestigation. Its usual sonographic findings are atretic or small gallbladder (less than 1.5cm in long axis)without bile duct dilatation. We reviewed sonographic findings of 63 cases of normal control group. To find outadditional helpful sonographic findings for the diagnosis of biliary atresia with unusual sonographic findings, weanalyzed the degree of elongation which is determined by the ratio of the diameter of short axis to that of longaxis (S/L ratio), and luminal irregularity of inner wall of the gallbladder. We found 16 cases (25%) with unusualsonography findings, that is, 12 cases (19%) with non-atretic (1.5cm or larger in long axis) gallbladder and 8cases (12%) with bile duct dilatation (four cases were overlapped). Of the 12 cases with biliary atresia withnon-atretic gallbladder, elongated gallbladder 9S/L ratio<0.25) was seen in 11 cases (91%) and luminalirregularity was noticed in 10 (83%). In normal control group (n=37), all had large gallbladder (mean ; 2.7cm,standard deviation; 0.7cm) and there was no case with luminal irregularity. Elongated gallbladder was seen only in4 case (11%) of the normal group. Of the 8 cases with bile duct dilatation in biliary atresia, common bile ductdilatation was seen in 7, intrahepatic duct dilatation in 2, and dilatation of both common bile duct andintrahepatic duct in one. In conclusion, though the atretic gallbladder observed by sonography is a usefulsonographic indicator of biliary atresia, the measurement of long axis of gallbladder only is not always reliable.Therefore, the additional evaluation of the shape such as the degree of elongation and irregularity of inner wallof the gallbladder could be helpful in the diagnosis of biliary atresia. |
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| Keyword : Bile ducts,stenosis or obstruction |
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> Journal > Journal Search 
Journal of Korean Society of Ultrasound in Medicine 1993 ; 12 (2) : p.167-172
