In
surgical pathology
Surgical pathology is the most significant and time-consuming area of practice for most anatomical pathologists. Surgical pathology involves gross and microscopic examination of surgical specimens, as well as biopsies submitted by surgeons and ...
, strawberry gallbladder, more formally cholesterolosis of the gallbladder and gallbladder cholesterolosis, is a change in the
gallbladder
In vertebrates, the gallbladder, also known as the cholecyst, is a small hollow organ where bile is stored and concentrated before it is released into the small intestine. In humans, the pear-shaped gallbladder lies beneath the liver, although ...
wall due to excess
cholesterol
Cholesterol is any of a class of certain organic molecules called lipids. It is a sterol (or modified steroid), a type of lipid. Cholesterol is biosynthesized by all animal cells and is an essential structural component of animal cell mem ...
.
Strawberry gallbladder
- cancerweb.ncl.ac.uk.
The name ''strawberry gallbladder'' comes from the typically stippled appearance of the mucosal surface on gross examination
Gross processing or "grossing" is the process by which pathology specimens undergo examination with the bare eye to obtain diagnostic information, as well as cutting and tissue sampling in order to prepare material for subsequent microscopic ''exa ...
, which resembles a strawberry. Cholesterolosis results from abnormal deposits of cholesterol esters in macrophages within the lamina propria (foam cell
Foam cells, also called lipid-laden macrophages, are a type of cell that contain cholesterol. These can form a plaque that can lead to atherosclerosis and trigger heart attacks and stroke.
Foam cells are fat-laden cells with a M2 macrophage-like ...
s) and in mucosal epithelium. The gallbladder may be affected in a patchy localized form or in a diffuse form. The diffuse form macroscopically appears as a bright red mucosa with yellow mottling (due to lipid), hence the term ''strawberry'' gallbladder.
It is not tied to cholelithiasis
A gallstone is a stone formed within the gallbladder from precipitated bile components. The term cholelithiasis may refer to the presence of gallstones or to any disease caused by gallstones, and choledocholithiasis refers to the presence of mi ...
(gallstone
A gallstone is a stone formed within the gallbladder from precipitated bile components. The term cholelithiasis may refer to the presence of gallstones or to any disease caused by gallstones, and choledocholithiasis refers to the presence of mi ...
s) or cholecystitis
Cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder. Symptoms include right upper abdominal pain, pain in the right shoulder, nausea, vomiting, and occasionally fever. Often gallbladder attacks (biliary colic) precede acute cholecystitis. The pai ...
(inflammation
Inflammation (from la, inflammatio) is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants, and is a protective response involving immune cells, blood vessels, and molec ...
of the gallbladder).
Additional images
Image:Gallbladder cholesterolosis micro.jpg, Micrograph of cholesterolosis of the gallbladder
Image:Gallbladder cholesterolosis intermed mag.jpg, Micrograph of cholesterolosis of the gallbladder
Image:Gallbladder cholesterolosis intermed mag cropped.jpg, Micrograph of cholesterolosis of the gallbladder
See also
* Cholecystectomy
* Rokitansky-Aschoff sinuses
References
Further reading
*
External links
{{Gastroenterology
Anatomical pathology
Gallbladder disorders