cholecystography /kō′lisistog″rəfē/ , an x-ray examination of the gallbladder. At least 12 hours before the study the patient has a fat-free meal and ingests a contrast material, usually in the form of tablets. It may also be given intravenously. The contrast medium, which is opaque to x-rays, is excreted by the liver into the bile in the gallbladder. After the procedure the patient consumes a fatty meal or cholecystokinin, which stimulates the gallbladder to contract, expelling bile and contrast material into the bile duct. Additional x-ray images may be taken about 1 hour later. The test is useful in the diagnosis of cholecystitis, cholelithiasis, and tumors and in the differential diagnosis of a mass in the upper right quadrant of the stomach.
