Gallbladder polyps – a follow-up study after 11 years

• Published in: BMC gastroenterology Vol. 19; no. 1; pp. 42 - 7
• Main Authors: Heitz, Linda, Kratzer, Wolfgang, Gräter, Tilmann, Schmidberger, Julian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 18.03.2019; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Abdomen; Adult; Aged; Analysis; Body mass index; Cholecystectomy; Diagnostic imaging; Disease Progression; Epidemiology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Gallbladder; Gallbladder Neoplasms - diagnostic imaging; Gallbladder Neoplasms - epidemiology; Gallbladder Neoplasms - pathology; Gallbladder polyps; Gastroenterology; Gender; Germany - epidemiology; Humans; Laparoscopy; Long-term progression; Male; Middle Aged; Polyps; Polyps - diagnostic imaging; Polyps - epidemiology; Polyps - pathology; Population; Prevalence; Prevalence studies (Epidemiology); Questionnaires; Studies; Ultrasonic imaging; Ultrasonography; Ultrasound; Ultrasound imaging; Women; Germany; Prevalence; Gallbladder polyps; Long-term progression; Ultrasonography
• ISSN: 1471-230X; 1471-230X
• DOI: 10.1186/s12876-019-0959-3

The aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence and natural long-term progression of gallbladder polyps in a random sample of the general population. Four hundred and thirteen subjects (190 women, 223 men; aged 29-75 years) were studied first in 2002 and again eleven years later in 2013. All subjects were interviewed using a standardised questionnaire, anthropometric data were recorded, and an abdominal ultrasound scan was carried out. The prevalence of gallbladder polyps was 6.1% (115/1880) in the 2002 study and 12.1% (50/413) in the 2013 follow-up study. After eleven years, 36 subjects (8.7%, 36/413) had developed new polyps, thirteen subjects (48.1%, 13/27) no longer had gallbladder polyps, and 14 subjects (51.9%, 14/27) still had polyps. The number of polyps had increased in six of these subjects (43%, 6/14), decreased in a further six (43%, 6/14), and remained unchanged in two (14%, 2/14). The mean polyp size was 4.7 mm (± 2.2 mm, range 2-20 mm) in 2002 and 4.0 mm (± 1.9 mm, range 0.5-11 mm) at follow-up. A decrease in polyp size was noted in seven (50%) of the 14 subjects, an increase in size in five subjects (35.7%), and no change in two subjects (14.3%). The shape of the polyps had changed from pedunculated to sessile in two subjects (14.3%, 2/14) and from sessile to pedunculated in one subject (7.1%, 1/14). In long-term follow-up, the prevalence of gallbladder polyps increased, with new lesions developing in 8.7% of the population. Polyps persisted in 51.9% of the subjects who had them in the original study and disappeared in the other 48.1%.