Risk factors leading to ceftriaxone-associated biliary pseudolithiasis in children.

Between July, 1992 and June, 1994, 151 pediatric patients who had ceftriaxone therapy for probable or definite bacterial enteritis were prospectively evaluated by serial abdominal ultrasonography. All patients received a dose of > or = 50 mg/kg/day and for a duration of 3 or more days. Five patients developed gallbladder precipitates or pseudolithiasis during treatment. Fasting and patients older than 24 months were probably the significant risk factors associated with this phenomenon (p < 0.05). However, no significant differences in sex, dose (50 vs. > 50 mg/kg/day) or duration of therapy (< 5 vs. > 5 day) were observed between patients who received ceftriaxone with and without the development of this gallbladder abnormality.