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The aim of this study is to clarify the prevalence of gallbladder benign neoplasms, their ultrasonographic appearance and their relationship with gallbladder lithiasis and cancer.This study was carried out on 9000 consecutive patients having ultrasound of upper abdomen. Only adenomas and papillomas are considered as true benign neoplasms of the gallbladder. Adenomiomatosis and cholesterol polyps, often erroneously labelled as benign neoplasms, were excluded. Patients were followed-up by ultrasound every three months up to two years.The prevalence of benign neoplasms was 1.19%. Papillomas were found more frequently than adenomas both in males (68.51%) and in females (94.33%). Gallstones were not concomitant with benign neoplasms in any case. Neither stones nor growth of gallbladder benign neoplasms were recorded within the two-year follow-up period.Papillomas were more frequent than adenomas. No gallstone was concurrent with gallbladder benign neoplasms in our series. However, when gallstones are evidenced at ultrasound, further attention is recommended to discover probable concomitant neoplasms. Papillomas and adenomas more than 1 cm in diameter should be quarterly followed-up, while smaller masses could be six-monthly controlled. Surgery should be indicated for large-sized or rapidly growing masses because of the risk for cancer development.

Gastric emptying of digestible and indigestible solids has been simultaneously evaluated in healthy humans. Gastric emptying of indigestible solids occurs simultaneously during the emptying of digestible solids. The knowledge of the mechanism responsible for gastric emptying of both digestible and indigestible solids may contribute to improve physiologic insight in this field and to develop further clinical applications.

The pancreatic duct or at least parts of this structure can be demonstrated today by sonography in 50-82% according to various authors. We have measured the caliber of the sonographically visualized pancreatic duct in 20 normal subjects after physiological stimulation with meal. The mean caliber of the duct markedly increased after meal. During dilatation a longer segment of duct is more clearly visualized. It is possible to document an increase of caliber of Wirsung duct "in vivo" as an evident sign of pancreatic secretion.

A probable relationship between Common Bile Duct (CBD) size and sex, age and Body Mass Index (BMI) was investigated in healthy volunteers. Real-time ultrasonography was employed to visualize gallbladder and CBD. No change of CBD size related to sex and BMI was found. A significant increase of CBD related to age was recorded.

The purpose of this work was to evaluate gastric emptying of a solid meal in 20 patients with functional dyspepsia and in 20 healthy controls. Gastric emptying time (T 1/2 = 188.45 +/- 93.79; p less than 0.001 - E.I. = 0.43 +/- 0.16; p less than 0.001) was significantly delayed in patients with functional dyspepsia compared with controls. The conclusion is drawn that either antral motor activity or antral-pyloric-duodenal motor activity is impaired in such patients.