An endoscopic biliary drainage technique was used in the study of 70 patients. All had histories suggestive of gallbladder disease but with normal oral cholecystograms. Of the 29 patients with abnormal drainage studies, 26 had cholecystectomy with all specimens showing cholecystitis, and cholelithiasis was seen in 46%. Five of the 41 patients with normal drainages underwent cholecystectomy, with no abnormality noted in any surgical specimen. Significant differences were seen when the mean WBC count, frequency of leukocytosis, and back pain were compared between the normal and abnormal drainage groups. Biliary drainage is a useful supplemental test when a false-negative oral cholecystogram is suspected.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.