Cholesterolosis of gallbladder overview

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

Cholesterolosis of gallbladder is characterized by mucosal villous hyperplasia with excessive accumulation of cholesterol esters within epithelial macrophages. Choesterolosis may be localized in the form of individual polyps or it may be diffused when there are groups of polyps . Diffused cholesterolosis of gallbladder is also referred to as strawberry gallbladder. The condition is usually clinically silent, but is rarely associated with biliary symptoms or idiopathic pancreatitis and cannot be reliably detected by ultrasonography.