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Practice Guideline
. 2017 Sep;27(9):3856-3866.
doi: 10.1007/s00330-017-4742-y. Epub 2017 Feb 9.

Management and follow-up of gallbladder polyps : Joint guidelines between the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR), European Association for Endoscopic Surgery and other Interventional Techniques (EAES), International Society of Digestive Surgery - European Federation (EFISDS) and European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE)

Rebecca Wiles  1 , Ruedi F Thoeni  2 , Sorin Traian Barbu  3 , Yogesh K Vashist  4   5 , Søren Rafael Rafaelsen  6 , Catherine Dewhurst  7 , Marianna Arvanitakis  8 , Max Lahaye  9 , Marek Soltes  10 , Julie Perinel  11 , Stuart Ashley Roberts  12
Affiliations
Practice Guideline

Management and follow-up of gallbladder polyps : Joint guidelines between the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR), European Association for Endoscopic Surgery and other Interventional Techniques (EAES), International Society of Digestive Surgery - European Federation (EFISDS) and European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE)

Rebecca Wiles et al. Eur Radiol. 2017 Sep.

Abstract

Objectives: The management of incidentally detected gallbladder polyps on radiological examinations is contentious. The incidental radiological finding of a gallbladder polyp can therefore be problematic for the radiologist and the clinician who referred the patient for the radiological examination. To address this a joint guideline was created by the European Society of Gastrointestinal and Abdominal Radiology (ESGAR), European Association for Endoscopic Surgery and other Interventional Techniques (EAES), International Society of Digestive Surgery - European Federation (EFISDS) and European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE).

Methods: A targeted literature search was performed and consensus guidelines were created using a series of Delphi questionnaires and a seven-point Likert scale.

Results: A total of three Delphi rounds were performed. Consensus regarding which patients should have cholecystectomy, which patients should have ultrasound follow-up and the nature and duration of that follow-up was established. The full recommendations as well as a summary algorithm are provided.

Conclusions: These expert consensus recommendations can be used as guidance when a gallbladder polyp is encountered in clinical practice.

Key points: • Management of gallbladder polyps is contentious • Cholecystectomy is recommended for gallbladder polyps >10 mm • Management of polyps <10 mm depends on patient and polyp characteristics • Further research is required to determine optimal management of gallbladder polyps.

Keywords: Cholecystectomy; Gallbladder; Neoplasms; Polyps; Ultrasonography.

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Conflict of interest statement

Guarantor

The scientific guarantor of this publication is Rebecca Wiles.

Conflict of interest

The authors of this manuscript declare no relationships with any companies whose products or services may be related to the subject matter of the article.

Funding

The authors state that this work has not received any funding.

Statistics and biometry

No complex statistical methods were necessary for this paper.

Ethical approval

Institutional review board approval was not required because this was a consensus guideline, not original research

Methodology

Consensus guidelines

Competing interests

None

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Management algorithm
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Pseudopolyps. This selected image from a transabdominal ultrasound scan demonstrates three separate pseudopolyps. Note the reverberation or “comet-tail” artefact posterior to the lesions (arrows)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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