The gallbladder is a hollow, pear-shaped organ located beneath the right lobe of the liver that stores and concentrates bile produced by the liver until it is needed for digestion. On ultrasound, the normal gallbladder appears as a thin-walled, anechoic structure with a smooth, regular outline. It is best examined after the patient has fasted for at least 8 hours, which allows the gallbladder to fill with bile and expand for optimal visualization. The gallbladder is one of the most frequently evaluated structures in abdominal ultrasound because gallbladder disease, including gallstones, cholecystitis, polyps, and cancer, is extremely common and ultrasound is the imaging study of choice for all of these conditions.
Sonography Term