Porcelain gallbladder

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Porcelain gallbladder is a calcification of the gallbladder believed to be brought on by excessive gallstones but more studies are necessary to determine the exact cause.

Porcelain gallbladder often results in a diagnosis of gallbladder cancer. The association with the two is uncertain; gallbladder cancer is rare, but is almost always found with porcelain gallbladder. The prognosis is poor, in that the gallbladder is usually asymptomatic until the cancer has spread. It is predominantly found in overweight female patients of middle age. Symptoms can include abdominal pain (especially after eating), jaundice, and vomiting.

If porcelain gallbladder is found very early before symptoms present themselves (such as during a surgery of some sort), the gallbladder can be removed and the chances for recovery are very good. Treatments are still being developed and doctors are studying new ways to treat this cancer at more developed stages.

External links

[eMedicine.com] — Porcelain Gallbladder by Ali Nawaz Khan and Margaret Aird

Two review articles ,Towfigh S. Am Surg 2001;67:7-10 and Stephen AE. Surgery 2001;126(6)699-703,found the incidence of calcified gallbladder associated with cancer of the gallbladder was only about 1%. They also found that of 69 calcified gallbladders only 3 of then contained cancer.

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