Infusion cholecystography in the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis.

The use of infusion cholecystography as an aid in the diagnosis of acute cholecystitis was investigated in 21 patients. Seventeen of 18 patients (94 per cent) with positive cholecyst-tomograms who underwent laparotomy had confirmation of acutely inflamed gallbladders both macroscopically and histologically. These findings suggest that infusion cholecystography can make a significant contribution in reducing the incidence of misdiagnosis in acute cholecystitis, and that the investigation should be part of the management of patients in whom early surgery is planned.