Sonography of gallbladder abnormalities in acromegaly patients following octreotide and ursodiol therapy: incidence and time course.

PURPOSE: We studied the effects of octreotide and ursodiol on the gallbladders of patients with acromegaly.

METHODS

We performed gallbladder sonography in patients with acromegaly at various intervals during treatment. Group I (18 patients) was treated with subcutaneous injections of the somatostatin analogue octreotide. Group II (10 patients) was treated with ursodiol while receiving octreotide therapy.

RESULTS

Seventy-eight percent of patients receiving octreotide developed gallbladder abnormalities: sludge in 72% (13/18) and calculi in 39% (7/18). Ursodiol reversed the gallbladder abnormalities in 7 of 10 patients.

CONCLUSIONS

A majority of patients receiving octreotide develop gallbladder abnormalities. Ursodiol appears to reverse the abnormalities in most cases.