Is computed tomography a reliable indicator of stone solubility?
This study was undertaken to ascertain whether CT evaluated stone densiometry, prior to treatment, is able to identify patients with high likelihood of success with litholisis. Eight patients with single radiolucent stone (less than 15 mm diameter) in a functioning gallbladder that showed no reduction in size after 12 months treatment with UDCA (10 mg/Kg/day) were submitted to CT scan to determine stone densitometry. Seven patients still had a radiolucent stone after therapy; six out of seven stones showed densitometric values over 50 Hounsfield units, which we considered the upper normal limit for stones consisting of cholesterol. CT can be a useful tool to identify patients at high risk for oral dissolution therapy failure.
