Diseases of the Gallbladder

This book provides up-to-date information on all aspects of gallbladder disease. After an introductory section on laboratory findings, pathology, and diagnostic methods, it focuses on specific conditions and their management, covering gallbladder stones, acalculous cholecystitis, gallbladder lesions associated with IgG4-related disease and with anomalous pancreaticobiliary ductal union, and dyskinesia of the gallbladder. Moreover, it discusses incidental gallbladder carcinoma in detail, including epidemiology, risk factors, gene mutations, diagnostic imaging methods and treatment modalities. The book also features a section exploring important current issues, such as the diagnosis and therapy of polypoid lesions and gallbladder wall thickening, and the role of prophylactic cholecystectomy in patients with concomitant gallstones following removal of common bile duct stones by ERCP. It also compares endoscopic gallbladder drainage with percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage. Lastly, the book offers stimulating future perspectives.