Fig. 5. Radiologic and pathologic findings of CC patients with or without a dysbiotic microbiome. B-mode ultrasound (A) and coronal computed tomography scan (B) obtained on portal phase show the stone with the largest dimension (4.4 cm) in the gallbladder of a 77-year-old man. (C) CC with a gallbladder cancer-associated microbiome pattern reveals severe infiltration of lymphoplasmacytic cells and neutrophils and shallow mucosal erosion. On higher magnification, the epithelium shows enlarged, hyperchromatic, crowded nuclei with prominent nucleoli. However, CC with a normal microbiome pattern shows nonspecific chronic inflammation without epithelial atypia. (D) The overall histologic score of CC with dysbiosis is significantly higher than the normal, especially regarding the degree of activity and epithelial atypia.
CC = chronic cholecystitis.