45 - Emergency Biliary Ultrasonography

setting, and an increasing number of emergency providers use point-of-care biliary sonography to rapidly evaluate symptomatic patients for the presence of cholelithiasis and its complications. Evaluation of elderly patients with suspected biliary sepsis is frequently complicated by altered mental status. In contrast to younger patients, sepsis from ascending cholangitis may be accompanied by atypical or vague clinical findings. Focused ultrasound is a valuable tool that can quickly evaluate the hepatobiliary tract and expedite appropriate treatment and disposition when signs of biliary infection are found. Bedside ultrasound is also a useful adjunct to the emergency physician for certain patients with chronic hepatic disease. Ultrasound can quickly evaluate for the presence of ascites and provide procedural guidance for paracentesis.