Abstract: Objective To evaluate the gallbladder contractility of patients with hepatolenticular degeneration （HLD） by cardiac left ventricular volume calculation method （modified Simpson method）. Methods The modified Simpson method was conducted at the long axis view to measure the gallbladder volume of 104 subjects（54 with HLD and 60 normal persons） under fasting conditions and after the administration of lipoid-food,and the gallbladder emptying rates in two groups were calculated and compared. Results Under the fasting state,there was no statistical difference in the volume of gallbladder between the patients with HLD [（27.31±6.90） ml] and the healthy controls [（25.63±4.72） ml];after the conduction of lipoid-food test,the gallbladder volume in patients with HLD was （10.31±4.61）ml,significantly bigger than in the controls [（3.41±2.78）ml,P<0.05],while the gallbladder emptying rate in patients with HLD [（54.85±12.12）%] was significantly lower than that in the controls [（73.48±7.60）%,P<0.01]. ConclusionsThe modified Simpson method is easy to perform and of good repeatability in measurement of gallbladder volume and is helpful in evaluation of gallbladder contractility in patients with HLD.

Key words: Hepatolenticular degeneration, Gallbladder contractility, Ultrasound, Simpson method