Morphometric Parameters of the Gallbladder in Children and Adolescents according to Intravital Imaging Findings

The aimof the study is to establish age and gender patterns of morphometric parameters of the gallbladder in children and adolescents based on the findings of intravital imaging.

Material and methods.The authors analyzed computed tomograms of the abdominal cavity of 75 children having no visible pathologies of the abdominal organs. The participants were divided into 4 agegroups: early childhood,  first  childhood,  second  childhood,  adolescence.  The diagnostic  procedure was  performed  on 16-slice computed tomographs; a longitudinal size, a distance between the right and left walls, a distance between the anterior  and posterior  walls  and  a  volume  of  the  gallbladder  were  detected  in  the  study.  The data  obtained  were processed using variational and statistical methods,the mean value (M), standard error (m) and the significance of differences according to the Student's t-test were determined.

Results.The longitudinal size of the gallbladder averaged 4.5±0.1 cm in the entire sample, 4.3±0.1 cm in girls, and 4.6±0.1 cm in boys; there was detected an increase from 3.7±0.2 cm in group 1 to 4.8±0.3 cm in group 4 (p=0.023). The transverse size of the gallbladder was 1.8 ± 0.1 cm, while in girls  -1.8 ± 0.1 cm, and in boys  - 1.7  ±  0.1  cm.  The  value  of  this  parameter  increased in  all  examined  children  from  1.3  ±  0.1  cm  in  group  1  to 2.1 ± 0.1 cm in group 4 (p = 0.001). In patients of all groups the average value of the distance between the anterior and  posterior  walls  of  the  gallbladder  was  2.8±0.1  cm.  In  girls  this  parameter  was  2.8±0.1  cm,  and  in  boys  -2.9±0.1  cm.  This  parameter  increased  in  all  patients  from  2.4±0.1  cm  in  group  1  to  3.4±0.1  cm  in  group  4 (p=0.001). The volume of the gallbladder constituted 13.6±0.8 cm³, in girls this parameter was 12.8±1.0 cm³, and in  boys  - 14.2±1.3  cm³.  The  volume  of  the  gallbladder  increased  in  all  patients  from  7.3±1.1  cm³  in  group  1  to 19.4±1.9 cm 3 in group 4 (p=0.001).

Conclusion.The most significant increase in most studied parameters (p≤0.05) was noted in children of the first childhood group compared with children of the early childhood group, and in adolescents co mpared with children  from  the  second  childhood  group  without  differentiation  by  gender. A  significant  increase  in  the  morphometric parameters of the gallbladder was determined mainly in boys of the first childhood group compared with  children  of  the  early  childhood  group  and  in  adolescents  compared with  children  of  the  second  childhood group. In girls there was observed a tendency to a smooth increase in parameters from group to group; a significant increase was determined by the parameter “the distance between the anterior and posterior walls” in children of the second age group compared with children of the first age group (p=0.022). Most of the gallbladder morphometric parameters did not significantly differentiate in girls and boys of the same age group.

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