[Should fasting prior to ultrasound examination of the gallbladder, the biliary ducts and the pancreas have to include not-drinking?].

From May to September 1991, 49 patients were examined by ultrasound (Picker CS 9000, 3.5 MHz curved array transducer) before and 30 minutes after drinking 150 ml of water. The volume of the gallbladder decreased significantly from a mean of 23.4 ml to 20.1 ml (p = 0.04). No significant change was found either between the visualisation of the gallbladder and bileducts (0.20 > p > 0.10) or the visualisation of the pancreas (0.40 > p > 0.30). However in 10 patients with cholelithiasis, the calculi were only seen in eight patients after drinking water. Thus, it must still be recommended that patients neither eat nor drink for four hours prior to an ultrasound examination of the gallbladder.