This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Fujimoto, T Articles by Hiratsuka, T Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Fujimoto, T Articles by Hiratsuka, T

Hypoechoic area as an ultrasound finding suggesting subserosal invasion in polypoid carcinoma of the gall bladder

¹ Department of Surgery, Hiratsuka Gastroenterological Hospital, 3-2-16 Nishi-Ikebukuro. Toshima-ku, Tokyo 171-0021 ² Department of Pathology, Cancer Institute, 1-37-1 Kami-Ikebukuro, Toshima-ku, Tokyo 170-8455, Japan

Ultrasound studies have demonstrated the gall bladder wall to consist of two or more (usually three) layers. Gall bladder tumours with neither a thinned nor split outermost hyperechoic layer are confined to the mucosa or muscle layer, or have only invaded the shallow subserosa. Differentiation of these two types of tumour has posed difficulties. We report a case of polypoid gall bladder carcinoma invading the shallow subserosa with a thickened outermost hyperechoic layer but a hypoechoic area in the deeper part of the tumour. Ultrasound and pathological correlation in this case demonstrated that the hypoechoic area represented an adenocarcinoma invading the subserosa accompanied by abundant fibrosis.