Sonographic Assessment of Gallbladder Motility in the Ibo Population of Nigeria: A Feasibility Study

Abstract

Gallbladder motility is affected in some gallbladder diseases. Reference values for normal gallbladder motility have not been established. The aim of this study is to establish multiple regression equations and reference values for predicting gallbladder motility in adult Nigerians. Forty healthy volunteers underwent serial sonographic scanning of the gallbladder between January and June 2005. Gallbladder volumes were calculated by ellipsoid approximation, and the 20th-minute gallbladder emptying rate (GBER) and gallbladder contraction index (GBCI) were computed. Anthropometric variables were equally measured. Multiple linear regression equations were derived using GBCI and GBER as dependent variables with age and body mass index as independent variables. The standard deviations for GBER were 0.429 and 0.457 in men and women, respectively, whereas the standard deviations for GBCI were 16.81 and 18.81 for men and women, respectively.