What is the normal gallbladder wall thickness?

What is the normal gallbladder wall thickness?

• A. Less than 5 mm
• B. Greater than 5 mm
• C. Less than 3 mm
• D. Between 3 and 5 mm

Answer: (C)

Normal gallbladder wall thickness is very thin. On ultrasound, you measure from the inner mucosal line to the outer serosal line with the patient fasting, so there isn’t edema from distention. The accepted upper limit of normal is about 3 mm, and values under 3 mm are considered normal for the gallbladder wall. That’s why the best answer is the one stating less than 3 mm. Wall thickening beyond this threshold raises concern for pathology such as cholecystitis or edema, and thickening well above 5 mm is more clearly abnormal. The other options either set the threshold too high or describe a range that isn’t as tightly aligned with the normal cutoff.

Normal gallbladder wall thickness is very thin. On ultrasound, you measure from the inner mucosal line to the outer serosal line with the patient fasting, so there isn’t edema from distention. The accepted upper limit of normal is about 3 mm, and values under 3 mm are considered normal for the gallbladder wall. That’s why the best answer is the one stating less than 3 mm. Wall thickening beyond this threshold raises concern for pathology such as cholecystitis or edema, and thickening well above 5 mm is more clearly abnormal. The other options either set the threshold too high or describe a range that isn’t as tightly aligned with the normal cutoff.