Porcelain Gallbladder

Excerpt

Porcelain gallbladder refers to the condition in which the inner gallbladder wall is encrusted with calcium. The wall becomes brittle, hard, and often takes on a bluish hue. Other names for this condition are calcified gallbladder, calcifying cholecystitis, and cholecystopathia chronica calcarea. It is usually found incidentally on plain abdominal x-rays or other imaging because most patients are asymptomatic. The extent of gallbladder wall involvement varies from the presence of a single calcified plaque adhered to the mucosal layer to total full-thickness replacement of the tissue of the entire gallbladder wall with calcium. The latter description is the more classic finding when discussing porcelain gallbladder .

Porcelain gallbladder is very rare, and in the past, it was believed to be associated with gallbladder malignancy. However, the current opinion is that the risk of malignancy is small. Porcelain gallbladder is often seen in elderly females and may sometimes become obvious on a plain x-ray.