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Gallbladder polyps are relatively common incidental findings on abdominal imaging. Most are non-neoplastic cholesterol polyps, but a very small proportion are adenomas or adenocarcinomas. To examine the natural history of gallbladder polyps, researchers at Stanford University took advantage of a database of 10,000 patients who had abdominal ultrasound examinations in a hepatocellular cancer screening program.
Gallbladder polyps were noted on at least one ultrasound report in 759 patients (8%). Among these patients, findings were as follows:
About 40% had more than one polyp on the first examination that showed polyps.
The largest polyp was ≤6 mm in most patients, but 3% of patients had at least one polyp measuring ≥10 mm.
Among 434 patients wit…