[Color Doppler ultrasound of gallbladder varicose veins in children. A rare sign of portal hypertension].

In a retrospective study of 21 children with portal hypertension (P. H.) four patients (19.2%) presented with gallbladder varices as documented by colour-coded Doppler sonography (CCDS) gallbladder varices (GV). Three of four patients with GV had portal vein thrombosis, one patient had cholestatic cirrhosis. Thickening of the gallbladder wall with serpentine anechoic structures was visible in all cases. Blood flow could be documented within the widened veins of the gallbladder wall in 3 of the 4 patients with duplex Doppler US, but in all patients with CCDS. US follow-up studies within 3-5 years were done on 2 patients and showed that GV appeared 2 years after the clinical diagnosis of P. H. With CCDS, varices of the gallbladder wall may be diagnosed readily and differentiated from other diseases associated with thickening of the gallbladder wall.