The present results suggested that the concomitant use of CE-IOUS with the Sonazoid and PDE system may be a useful and safe method, in addition to CT or MRI.

CT features of the enhanced continuous mucosal line in a thickened gallbladder wall, together with gallstones in a patient with chronic gallbladder disease, are highly suggestive of XGC. Accurate diagnosis of XGC may therefore indicate the need to select a less aggressive surgical approach.

Triple positive tumor markers for HCC showed poor prognosis and invasive characteristics in pathological findings. Examination of these markers would be useful for predicting the degree of HCC malignancy.

The long-term outcomes of 97 consecutive patients with hepatolithiasis, who underwent treatment from January 1971 to June 2006, were analyzed. The short-term outcomes included the rate of residual stones and complications after treatment, whereas the long-term results included the stone recurrence rate. In 22 of the 97 (22.7%) patients, residual stones were found after treatment for hepatolithiasis. The incidence of residual stones was 0% in hepatectomy patients, 48.6% in cholangioenterostomy patients (p < 0.001, compared with hepatectomy), 25.0% in T-tube drainage patients (p = 0.015, compared with hepatectomy), and 10.0% in percutaneous transhepatic cholangioscopic lithotripsy (PTCSL) patients. In 15 of the 66 (22.7%) patients who were treated for hepatolithiasis, recurrent stones were found after intervals of 5 to 24 years. The incidence of recurrent stones was 13.9% in hepatectomy patients, 28.5% in cholangioenterostomy patients, 25.0% in T-tube drainage patients, and 50.0% in PTCSL patients (p = 0.021, compared with hepatectomy). Hepatectomy appears to be the most effective treatment for selected patients with isolated left hepatolithiasis (L). In PTCSL procedures, favorable results have been obtained when the stones were completely cleared; however, the incidence of recurrent stones is high in patients after PTCSL.

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