Ultrasonographic evaluation of the biliary tree in patients with atypical chest pain.

We studied the use of gallbladder ultrasonography in the evaluation of atypical chest pain (ACP). During an 8-month period, 52 patients were referred for biliary ultrasonography with a chief complaint of chest pain. Twelve (32.1%) had cholelithiasis discovered by ultrasonography. Four of these 12 (33.3%) underwent subsequent cholecystectomy with complete relief of symptoms. None of the patients with normal ultrasonography for whom follow-up was available (32) underwent subsequent cholecystectomy. We found no statistical difference in the prevalence of cholelithiasis between the ACP group and 85 asymptomatic controls. Clinical evidence confirms the concept that ultrasonography may play an important role in the evaluation of ACP.