Aims & objective: The main aim of our study was to review the imaging features of gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) and assess the utility of MDCT in staging & resectability of GBC with postoperative histopathological correlation.
Methods and Material: The present study was a prospective observational study with internal validation by operative and histopathological correlation. Time period of study was 2 years (August 2014 to July 2016).The patients (n=110) were referred from Department of Surgery with clinical suspicion of GBC. All patients were subjected to preliminary ultrasonography. After taking informed consent, the above patient group was subjected to CT examination of abdomen and pelvis using 64-slice computerized tomography examination as per international protocol. Out of 110 patients, 30 patients were surgically explored & postoperarative findings noted.
Results: Majority of cases presented in 5th-6th decade with female preponderance. Most common morphological type was gallbladder wall thickening (44.5%).Loco regional spread was more common than distant metastasis with adjacent hepatic parenchymal infiltration as most common site. Lymphatic spread show predilection towards N2 station of nodes. Most common site of distant metastasis was liver. Other features included skeletal, pulmonary, adrenal metastasis, cholecystoduodenal fistula and vascular invasion. Osteolytic lesions were most common type of bony metastasis. Adenocarcinoma was most common histological type (86.6%).
Conclusions: In our study, there was corresponding change in morphologic pattern of the disease from wall thickening to mass replacing gallbladder fossa with progression in the disease stage. Gallbladder fossa mass with hepatic infiltration was the commonest pointer for resectable carcinoma gallbladder. MDCT was found to be quite effective in resectability of the tumour as well as disease staging.
