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Sonographic findings in 497 patients with suspected acute cholecystitis were analyzed prospectively. Combined use of primary and secondary sonographic signs led to excellent positive and negative predictive values. Positive predictive values for stones combined with either a positive sonographic Murphy sign (92.2%) or with gallbladder wall thickening (95.2%) were excellent for acute cholecystitis. Positive predictive value of these signs for patients requiring cholecystectomy was even higher (99.0%). Negative predictive values for combined use of primary and secondary signs to exclude acute cholecystitis were also excellent (95.0% for no stones and negative sonographic Murphy sign). Real-time sonography alone, using both primary and secondary signs, can be definitive in nearly 80% of patients with suspected acute cholecystitis. These patients require no further imaging evaluation. Sonography should be the screening test of choice in acute cholecystitis because it is cost effective, prospectively highly accurate, quick, and better at characterizing and detecting other abdominal lesions than cholescintigraphy. A proposed algorithm is described.

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In five patients with agenesis of the right lobe of the liver, computed tomography or sonography demonstrated absence of the right lobe with compensatory hypertrophy of other segments. In three patients, the caudate lobe was also absent. The radiologic differential diagnosis includes lobar atrophy due to cirrhosis or hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Nineteen other cases have been reported in the world literature since 1956. This interesting congenital anomaly may be associated with biliary tract disease (12 patients), portal hypertension (seven patients), and other congenital anomalies (four patients), or it may be an incidental finding (five patients).

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma (EHE) is a rare, malignant neoplasm of vascular origin arising in soft tissues, lung, and liver. Four cases of hepatic EHE are reported, and 49 previously reported cases are reviewed. The tumor occurs in adults of all ages; 66% of patients are women. The prognosis is variable. Computed tomographic findings suggest the tumor begins as multiple hepatic nodules that grow and coalesce, forming large confluent masses preferentially involving the liver periphery. Extensive hepatic involvement is associated with enlargement of uninvolved portions of the liver and splenomegaly. Awareness of the radiologic features is helpful because clinical findings are nonspecific, and biopsy specimens may be misinterpreted as carcinoma or venoocclusive disease.