What is a cholecystogram?
Cholecystogram is a medical imaging study of a gallbladder that the doctor can order the identification of stones. Stones may disrupt the gallbladder function and can cause medical complications to the patient. The doctor can apply for this test if he believes that the patient has stones and wants to determine how serious they are and what would be more appropriate. The test requires some preparation and patients must carefully follow the instructions.
In the cholecystogram, the contrasting agent will highlight all the stones present in the gallbladder. The patient usually has to eat a low fat diet on the day of the previous test to concentrate the gall bladder. May receive some contrast agent tablets to take the night before the test. In other facilities, the care provider will be intravenous on the day of the test on the day of the test and give it some time to circulate and accumulate in the gallbladder. X -ray images will display the movement of bile and all stones, more visible using a contrasting agent. ChOlecystogram can catch stones of different sizes and accurately identify them in more than 90% of cases. With the test, the doctor may determine whether the patient needs surgery or other treatment.
The cholecystogram procedure is a relatively low risk. Some patients have iodine allergies and may not be able to take a contrasting agent. X -rays also represent a potential risk but relatively low. If the patient does not have many X -rays for other reasons, or does not receive the correct shielding in the X -ray set, the risks should be much lower than the benefits of the test. Some patients may consider diet recommendations before a difficult test, but only one day can withstand an alékist or nutritionist can have some food tips to help the patient to prepare.
One of the alternatives to the cholecystogram is the ultrasound of the gallbladder. The advantage of this procedure is that the doctor does not have to wait. The patient does not have to eat pLow fat poisoning for one day and taking a contrasting agent before ultrasound, and therefore the physician may perform immediate evaluation in a patient suspected of bile stones. This procedure may be more advantageous in patients who cannot take iodine or who are at risk of X -rays such as pregnant women.