Risk for Malignancy with “Porcelain Gallbladder”

So-called “porcelain gallbladder,” which refers to calcification of the gallbladder (GB) wall, occasionally is found incidentally on abdominal imaging. Traditionally, porcelain GB was considered to be associated strongly with GB cancer, but recent case series challenged older observations. In this retrospective study, researchers at a Boston hospital queried their radiology database and found 113 cases of definite or highly probable GB wall calcification during a 12-year period.

Twenty-three patients underwent surgery shortly after their GB imaging, and 90 were observed. Imaging had been done to evaluate symptoms (e.g., cholecystitis, biliary colic) in about half of the 23 immediate-surgery patients. Carcinoma was discovered in 2 of these pa…