Should Gallbladder Pathologies Be Investigated in Patients With Colon Polyps?

Background Data regarding the frequency of development of gallbladder pathologies in patients with colon polyps are quite limited and heterogeneous. Hence, this study aimed to investigate whether colon polyps cause an increased risk of developing gallbladder pathologies and the necessity of ultrasonographic screening. Methodology This retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted among adult patients who underwent a colonoscopy and hepatobiliary ultrasound as part of their health check-up from January 2018 to January 2023. The frequency, etiological factors, and association of gallbladder pathologies with colon polyps were investigated. Results A total of 128 patients were included in the study. When the distribution of colon polyp pathology was examined, 78.9% (n = 101) were adenomas, 18.8% (n = 24) were non-neoplastic polyps, and 2.3% (n = 3) were adenocarcinomas. The rate of patients with gallbladder stones was 10.9% (n = 14) and the rate of patients with polyps was 18.8% (n = 24). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, variables found to be significant for the development of gallbladder pathologies were determined as obesity, hyperlipidemia, and polyp's distal colon location. Conclusions Obesity and metabolic syndrome were among the etiological factors in this patient group. Hepatobiliary ultrasound, a non-invasive and inexpensive examination, is useful in patients with colon polyps.