Gallbladder polyps are usually benign clusters of cells that form on the inner lining of the gallbladder. There are five main types, with cholesterol polyps being the most common. Most polyps do not require surgery, but periodic monitoring is usually sufficient.
Gallbladder polyps are usually benign clusters of cells that form on the inner lining of the gallbladder. Much less common than gallstones, these polyps develop in 1-4% of the population. The five main types of gallbladder polyps are cholesterol polyps, adenomyomas, inflammatory polyps, adenomas, and neoplasms, and a very small fraction of them are found to contain cancerous tissue. They are usually found via ultrasounds conducted to check for other problems related to abdominal pain or to examine the liver.
The gallbladder is a situation between the liver and the intestines, which cannot be viewed with an endoscope. An ultrasound or computed axial tomography (CT) scan is used to see and follow gallbladder polyps. Cholesterol polyps make up about 60% of all cases. They are not dangerous unless they become detached and block the bile duct.
Adenomyomas are the second most common type of gallbladder polyps and comprise 25% of all cases. They cause thickening of the gallbladder wall, but are not a cause for concern unless they are distributed segmentally and their presence causes narrowing and constriction of the gallbladder lumen. A small fraction of these may be cancerous, and surgical removal of the organ is usually done if segmentation is found.
10% of all gallbladder polyps are inflammatory polyps. Chronic inflammation of the gallbladder tissue combined with granulation and fibrous tissues make up these polyps, which generally do not require any surgery to correct the problem. A rarer type of polyp called an adenoma accounts for 4 percent of polyps within the gallbladder. Of the cancerous adenomas, most are greater than 0.47 inch (12 mm) in diameter, and benign ones are not thought to become cancerous.
The fifth type of gallbladder polyps are neoplasms. While these are usually benign, they can include several types of malignant tumors and be up to 0.79 inches (20 mm) in size. If it is determined that a patient is at risk of needing surgery in the future, an ultrasound is done every six months to look for any changes in the size of the polyp. A common technique is an endoscopic ultrasound which can accurately examine gallbladder polyps to determine their exact nature. In most cases the level of concern about a polyp is directly related to its size and periodic monitoring is usually sufficient.
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