Chronic cholecystitis

Chronic cholecystitis
	Diagnosis in short
	; Gallbladder cholesterolosis - often seen together with chronic cholecystitis. H&E stain.
LM	entrapped epithelial crypts, fibrosis/muscular hypertrophy of gallbladder wall, +/-foamy macrophages
LM DDx	acute cholecystitis, gallbladder adenocarcinoma, gallbladder adenomyoma, intestinal metaplasia of the gallbladder
Gross	+/-strawberry-like appearance, yellow stones, fibrotic wall
Site	gallbladder
Associated Dx	obesity
Clinical history	biliary colic, usu. fertile fat females forty years or less
Symptoms	constant right upper quadrant pain after a meal (biliary colic)
Prevalence	very common
Prognosis	good, benign

Chronic cholecystitis, abbreviated CC, is a very common pathology of the gallbladder and increasing in prevalence with the expanding waist lines.

General

Epidemiology

Female, fat, fertile, family history, forty (though now getting younger... as people get fatter).

Etiology

Cholelithiasis.
Thick bile (acalculous cholecystitis).

Clinical (classic)

Constant right upper quadrant pain after a fatty meal.
Positive Murphy's sign (physical exam, with ultrasound).

Gross

+/-Cholelithiasis - strongly associated pathology.
+/-Strawberry-like appearance - common (due to gallbladder cholesterolosis).
- Small ridges (microvillus architecture) + yellow.
  - Normal gallbladder mucosa = smooth, green.
+/-Congestion/erythema.
+/-Wall thickening - typically ~ 6-7 mm.^[1]

Note:

Wall thickening (due to congestion/edema) is the important gross finding in acute cholecystitis.
Wall thickenss greater than 10 mm should raise the suspicion of malignancy.^[1]

Microscopic

Features:^[2]

Thickening of the gallbladder wall - due to fibrosis/muscular hypertrophy - key feature.
Chronic inflammatory cells - usu. "minimal".
- Lymphocytes - most common.
Rokitansky-Aschoff sinuses - common.^[3]
- Entrapped epithelial crypts -- pockets of epithelium in the wall of the gallbladder.
+/-Foamy macrophages in the lamina propria (cholesterolosis of the gallbladder).

DDx:

Gallbladder adenomyoma.
Acute cholecystitis - more inflammation, lack Rokitansky-Aschoff sinuses, +/-mucosal erosions.
Cholecystectomy for gallstone pancreatitis - intraepithelial neutrophil clusters common, history essential.
Intestinal metaplasia of the gallbladder - goblet cells present, may be focal.
Gallbladder adenocarcinoma.

Sign out

GALLBLADDER, CHOLECYSTECTOMY: 
- CHRONIC CHOLECYSTITIS. 
- CHOLELITHIASIS.

Liver present

GALLBLADDER, CHOLECYSTECTOMY: 
- CHRONIC CHOLECYSTITIS. 
- CHOLELITHIASIS.
- SMALL AMOUNT OF LIVER WITHOUT APPARENT PATHOLOGY.

Micro

The sections shows gallbladder wall with Rokitansky-Aschoff sinuses and a moderate mixed inflammatory infiltrate predominantly consisting of lymphocytes. No nuclear atypia is seen.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Kim, HJ.; Park, JH.; Park, DI.; Cho, YK.; Sohn, CI.; Jeon, WK.; Kim, BI.; Choi, SH. (Feb 2012). "Clinical usefulness of endoscopic ultrasonography in the differential diagnosis of gallbladder wall thickening.". Dig Dis Sci 57 (2): 508-15. doi:10.1007/s10620-011-1870-0. PMID 21879282.
↑ Iacobuzio-Donahue, Christine A.; Montgomery, Elizabeth A. (2005). Gastrointestinal and Liver Pathology: A Volume in the Foundations in Diagnostic Pathology Series (1st ed.). Churchill Livingstone. pp. 439. ISBN 978-0443066573.
↑ URL: http://www.whonamedit.com/synd.cfm/983.html. Accessed on: 29 October 2011.

[pmid21879282-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Kim, HJ.; Park, JH.; Park, DI.; Cho, YK.; Sohn, CI.; Jeon, WK.; Kim, BI.; Choi, SH. (Feb 2012). "Clinical usefulness of endoscopic ultrasonography in the differential diagnosis of gallbladder wall thickening.". Dig Dis Sci 57 (2): 508-15. doi:10.1007/s10620-011-1870-0. PMID 21879282.

[Ref_GLP439-2] Iacobuzio-Donahue, Christine A.; Montgomery, Elizabeth A. (2005). Gastrointestinal and Liver Pathology: A Volume in the Foundations in Diagnostic Pathology Series (1st ed.). Churchill Livingstone. pp. 439. ISBN 978-0443066573.

[3] URL: http://www.whonamedit.com/synd.cfm/983.html. Accessed on: 29 October 2011.

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