Common bile duct measurements in an elderly population

We prospectively evaluated the diameter of the common bile duct in 1,018 patients between the ages of 60 to 96 over a 4 year period to determine if there is a significant change in its size with aging. All of the patients included in the study were being evaluated primarily for carotid or peripheral...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of ultrasound in medicine 2000-11, Vol.19 (11), p.727-730
Main Authors: Perret, R. S, Sloop, G. D, Borne, J. A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aging
Biological and medical sciences
Common Bile Duct - anatomy & histology
Common Bile Duct - diagnostic imaging
Digestive system. Abdomen
Female
Humans
Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects)
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Prospective Studies
Ultrasonic investigative techniques
Ultrasonography
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We prospectively evaluated the diameter of the common bile duct in 1,018 patients between the ages of 60 to 96 over a 4 year period to determine if there is a significant change in its size with aging. All of the patients included in the study were being evaluated primarily for carotid or peripheral vascular disease. Any patients with a history of biliary disease (i.e., bilirubin level greater than 1.5 mg/ml, cholecystectomy, or cholelithiasis) were excluded. Ultrasonography of the common bile duct was performed only in those patients with no subjective abdominal pain or icterus. Our results demonstrated a small although statistically significant increase in the caliber of the common bile duct with increasing age (60 years old or less, mean diameter 3.6 mm +/‐ 0.2mm, versus over 85 years old, mean diameter 4 mm +/‐ 0.2 mm, P = 0.009). Although the common bile duct did increase in size with aging, 98% of all ducts remained below 6 to 7 mm, the commonly accepted upper range of normal.
ISSN:0278-4297
1550-9613
DOI:10.7863/jum.2000.19.11.727