Thickness of the gallbladder wall in patients with hypoalbuminemia: a sonographic study of patients on peritoneal dialysis.

Thickening of the gallbladder wall in patients with ascites has been attributed not to the presence of ascites but to the associated hypoalbuminemia. The contribution of hypoalbuminemia was examined by sonographically measuring the thickness of the gallbladder wall in 12 patients with chronic renal failure who were on peritoneal dialysis. All patients had hypoalbuminemia, with serum albumin levels of 2.2-3.3 g/dl (normal range, 3.5-5.0 g/dl). In all patients, the thickness of the gallbladder wall was within the normal range of less than 3 mm. In the patients studied, hypoalbuminemia was not a cause of thickening of the gallbladder wall even when peritoneal fluid was present.