Echogenic Content in the Fetal Gallbladder: Systematic Review of Ultrasound Features and Clinical Outcome

It is rare to detect echogenic content in the fetal gallbladder. The etiology, natural course, and prognosis of this condition remain unclear. In addition to providing a systematic review of this topic, we suggest a plan for patient follow-up. From a total of 100 database entries identified in PubMe...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Diagnostics (Basel) 2023-01, Vol.13 (2), p.230
Main Authors: Boitor-Borza, Dan, Rotar, Ioana Cristina, Staicu, Adelina, Constantin, Roxana, Muresan, Daniel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case reports
echogenic content
fetal cholelithiasis
fetal gallbladder
fetal gallstones
Fetuses
Gallbladder
Gallstones
Open source software
prenatal diagnosis
Systematic Review
Ultrasonic imaging
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Summary:It is rare to detect echogenic content in the fetal gallbladder. The etiology, natural course, and prognosis of this condition remain unclear. In addition to providing a systematic review of this topic, we suggest a plan for patient follow-up. From a total of 100 database entries identified in PubMed, EMBASE, and ICTRP reviews, we selected 34 studies in which we investigated the ultrasound features and outcome of this condition. There were 226 fetuses with gallbladder echogenic content identified. Seventy-two fetuses were found to have biliary sludge; thirty cases had a single hyperechogenic focus, and one hundred fetuses had multiple foci in the gallbladder. There were 16 cases of distal shadowing, 37 fetuses with comet tail and twinkling, and 26 cases with no acoustic artifacts. Nine cases of spontaneous resolution before birth have been documented; nine fetuses exhibited no echogenic content at birth, and 138 cases of resolution of echogenic content within the first year of life have been described. Typically, the condition resolves spontaneously during the postnatal period. After adequately reassuring the parents, the patients should be monitored for spontaneous resolution; medical or surgical intervention is not indicated. Asymptomatic patients can be managed with a wait-and-see strategy.
ISSN:2075-4418
2075-4418
DOI:10.3390/diagnostics13020230