濵田 充生¹, 岡部 純弘², 冨田 周介², 栃尾 人司¹, 簑輪 和士¹, 曽我 登志子¹, 森本 義人¹, 樫田 博史², 工藤 正俊², 藤堂 彰男²

Michio HAMADA¹, Yoshihiro OKABE², Shusuke TOMITA², Hitoshi TOCHIO¹, Kazushi MINOWA¹, Toshiko SOGA¹, Yoshito MORIMOTO¹, Hiroshi KASHIDA², Masatoshi KUDO², Akio TODO²

¹神戸市立中央市民病院腹部超音波室, ²神戸市立中央市民病院消化器センター内科

¹Abdominal Ultrasound Section, Kobe City General Hospital, ²Department of Gastroenterology, Kobe City General Hospital

キーワード : Color Doppler Sonography, Efferent flow, Focal spared area, Gallbladder

Color Doppler sonography was used to clarify the origin and significance of the efferent flow signal from the gallbladder wall. The efferent flow from the gallbladder wall was detected in 25 cases: 13 with acute cholecystitis, 1 with benign gallbladder polyp, 1 with adenomyomatosis, 1 with gallbladder cancer, 5 with focal spared area in diffuse fatty liver, 3 with liver cirrhosis (2 with hepatocellular carcinoma), and 1 with chronic hepatitis. The efferent flows communicated with the intrahepatic portal branch (9 cases), the hepatic vein (2 cases), or both (1 case). Furthermore, regurgitating flow of intrahepatic portal branch (P 5) was shown in 3 cases with acute cholecystitis. We conclude that the efferent flow from the gallbladder wall identified by color Doppler sonography corresponded to the cystic vein, which is difficult to detect with other imaging modalities. Color Doppler imaging may also be useful in assessing the severity of such pathologic conditions as acute cholecystitis or gallbladder cancer, and also in clarifying the cause of the focal spared area found in diffuse fatty liver or cystic vein hypertension.