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Insight Horizon Media

What is gallbladder adenomyosis?

Author

Daniel Rodriguez

Published Mar 16, 2026

What is gallbladder adenomyosis?

Gallbladder adenomyomatosis (GA) is a benign alteration of the gallbladder wall that can be found in up to 9% of patients. GA is characterized by a gallbladder wall thickening containing small bile-filled cystic spaces (i.e., the Rokitansky–Aschoff sinuses, RAS).

What is the difference between adenomyosis and adenomyomatosis?

Adenomyomatosis is characterized by enlarged Rokitansky–Aschoff sinuses and thickening of the muscularis layer of the gallbladder. As a result, adenomyomatosis (which should not be confused with adenomyosis, a condition that affects the uterus) manifests as gallbladder wall thickening with intramural cystic spaces.

Is Adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder cancer?

Originally recognized as a precancerous lesion, adenomyomatosis is currently recognized by recent studies as a benign alteration of the gallbladder that is often associated with cholecystitis and cholecystolithiasis. Gallbladder carcinoma is an extremely malignant disease with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%.

What color is gallbladder sludge?

Gallbladder sludge is a collection of cholesterol, calcium, bilirubin, and other compounds that build up in the gallbladder. It is sometimes called biliary sludge because it occurs when bile stays in the gallbladder for too long. Bile is a greenish-yellow fluid that produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder.

What is the gallbladder fundus?

The gallbladder is divided into three sections: the fundus, body, and neck. The fundus is the rounded base, angled so that it faces the abdominal wall. The body lies in a depression in the surface of the lower liver. The neck tapers and is continuous with the cystic duct, part of the biliary tree.

What is adenomyosis with Adenomyoma?

Extensive adenomyosis (adenomyosis) or its variance, localized adenomyosis (adenomyoma) of the uterus, is often described as scattered, widely-distributed endometrial glands or stromal tissue found throughout the myometrium layer of the uterus.

What causes Adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder?

Adenomyomatosis is caused by an overgrowth of the mucosa, thickening of the muscular wall, and formation of intramural diverticula or sinus tracts termed Rokitansky–Aschoff sinuses, also called entrapped epithelial crypts.

Is gallbladder sludge serious?

Most people with gallbladder sludge can lead normal, healthy lives. Many require no treatment at all. But an accurate diagnosis can rule out potentially dangerous problems, such as a pancreas infection or pancreatic cancer.

What is Adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder?

Gallbladder (GB) adenomyomatosis (ADM) is a benign, acquired anomaly, characterized by hypertrophy of the mucosal epithelium that invaginates into the interstices of a thickened muscularis forming so-called Rokitansky-Aschoff sinuses.

What is the prognosis of papillary adenocarcinoma of the gall bladder?

B. Invasive papillary carcinomas have the most favorable prognosis than conventional nonpapillary gallbladder adenocarcinomas because they have an exophytic growth pattern, exhibit delayed invasion into the gallbladder wall, and are detected early due to obstructive symptoms ( Arch Pathol Lab Med 2005;129:905 ).

What are the signs and symptoms of ADM in gallstones?

ADM, although usually asymptomatic, can manifest as abdominal pain or hepatic colic, even in the absence of associated gallstones (50% to 90% of cases). ADM can also be revealed by an attack of acalculous cholecystitis.

Is cholecystectomy the best treatment for Adenomyomatosis?

Fundal type adenomyomatosis is usually medically treated if the diagnosis has been made radiologically. If there is no response to medical treatment, cholecystectomy is the treatment of choice [2, 4, 14]. One of our patients was operated with the diagnosis of cholelithiasis and gallbladder adenoma.