Cholesterolosis
Cholesterolosis

• Gallbladder has been opened displaying the mucosa

• Innumerable tiny (1mm or less) bright yellow dots represent foci of cholesterol filled macrophages in the mucosa

• No stones are present in this case although it is common to find evidence of chronic cholecystitis and cholelithiasis in these cases


(Image Contrib. by:UCHC)(Description by: Melinda Sanders,M.D.)
T57000M43000
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Cholesterolosis
Etiology

•Unknown


Pathogenesis

•Unknown


Epidemiology

•Incidental finding


Clinical

•The condition has no clinical significance and is not associated with any symptoms.

•There is no evidence that cholesterolosis predisposes to cholelithiasis or cholecystitis.


General Gross Description

•Characterized by abnormal deposition of mixtures of cholesterol and triglyceride in macrophages in the lamina propria of the gallbladder.

•The accumulating macrophages cause a distinctive bulge and lift the superficial epithelium overlying them.

•The condition can either be localized or extensive and diffuse.

•The latter is referred to as a "strawberry gallbladder".

•In a strawberry gallbladder, the mucosa tends to be red, and is flecked with numerous yellowish spots.


General Micro Description

•Histologically, the lesion is characterized by numerous foamy macrophages lying just beneath the columnar epithelium of the gallbladder.


Reference

• Cotran RS, Kumar V, Robbins SL: Robbins Pathologic Basis of Disease. 5th ed. Philadelphia, W.B. Saunders, 1994.


• Current literature from PubMed at National Library of Medicine


Synopsis by: T.V.Rajan, M.D., Ph.D., UCHC
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