Background/aims: To determine whether gallbladder wall blood flow velocity reflected the degree of inflammation, these were measured in 2 acute cholecystitis groups treated with percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder aspiration (PTGBA) or antibiotics alone.
Methodology: Six patients underwent PTGBA and 5 patients were treated conservatively. Clinical indicators of systemic inflammation and blood flow velocity in the gallbladder wall were determined. The resistance index (RI) was calculated.
Results: In the PTGBA group, maximum blood flow (Vmax) decreased sharply the day after PTGBA and remained at a low level thereafter. In the conservative group, the Vmax did not significantly fall until 7 days after the therapy. The RI was significantly decreased on the first to third day after PTGBA but not thereafter. In the conservative group, the RI was not significantly changed throughout the period.
Conclusions: The gallbladder wall blood flow velocity indicated the degree of inflammation in the acute cholecystitis patients. The RI of the blood flow in the gallbladder wall may also be an effective method of monitoring gallbladder inflammation.