Gallbladder Disease

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Diagnosis

Abdominal x-rays are not used to diagnose gallbladder disease. Only about 20% of gallstones are dense enough to be seen on x-ray, most blend in with the soft tissue structures of the abdomen.

Before the advent of ultrasound, the imaging test most used to visualize the gallbladder was the oral cholecystogram. In this test, an oral contrast agent (dye) was given to the patient the night before the test and would be flushed from the body through the gallbladder and bile ducts. Whe...Read the full article