Diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound in acute cholecystitis.

This work attempts to assess the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound for acute cholecystitis in 98 clinically suspected patients from the emergency unit in whom at least 3 of 6 relevant criteria are present. Gallbladder distention to 5 cm or more transversely or in the anterior-posterior axis (criterion 1) was present in 64 patients; thickening of the gallbladder wall of at least 5 mm (criterion 2) in 95; cholelithiasis (criterion 3) in 86; sonolucent halo in the gallbladder wall (criterion 4) in 40; sonolucent fluid band surrounding the gallbladder (criterion 5) in 27; and intraluminal echogenic mass with no posterior acoustic shadow (criterion 6) in 35. A diagnostic accuracy index, corrected for chance, was statistically and clinically more relevant with 3 as the minimum number of criteria for the ultrasonic diagnosis of acute cholecystitis.