Gallbladder cancer physical examination

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] ; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Vamsikrishna Gunnam M.B.B.S [2]

Overview[edit | edit source]

Patients with gallbladder cancer usually appear asymptomatic. Physical examination of patients with gallbladder cancer is usually remarkable for nonspecific symptoms that are due to cholelithiasis or cholecystitis. The preoperative diagnosis rate for gallbladder cancer was only 10 to 15 percent.

Physical Examination[edit | edit source]

• Physical examination of patients with gallbladder cancer is usually non specific or most oftenly asymptomatic.^{[1][2][3][4][5]}
• Physical examination of patients with gallbladder cancer is usually remarkable for symptoms that are due to cholelithiasis or cholecystitis.

Appearance of the Patient[edit | edit source]

• Patients with gallbladder cancer usually appear anorexic.

Vital Signs[edit | edit source]

• Fever
• Tachycardia

Skin[edit | edit source]

• Dry skin
• Yellowish discoloration of skin in severe jaundice

Abdominal Examination[edit | edit source]

• Right upper quadrant abdominal tenderness
• Courvoisier's sign: also called Courvoisier's Law is a sign of malignancy either pancreatic or of gallbladder origin rather than a sigh of cholelithiasis.^[1]
• Mirizzi syndrome: when gallbladder cancer invades biliary tree or the region of the hepatoduodenal ligament, patients present with obstructive jaundice.The presence of obstructive jaundice on is highly suggestive of compression of the common hepatic duct due to impacted stone in the gallbladder neck.^[6][7]
• The presence of palpable mass, ascites or paraneoplastic syndromes like acanthosis nigricans on physical examination is most likely suggestive of extra abdominal metastases.

References[edit | edit source]

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