Which pathology can lead to a thickened gallbladder wall?

A thickened gallbladder wall is often indicative of pathological conditions affecting the gallbladder. Cholecystitis, which refers to the inflammation of the gallbladder, is a direct cause of this thickening. When the gallbladder becomes inflamed, it can lead to both edema and fibrosis, resulting in a noticeable increase in the thickness of the gallbladder wall on imaging studies.

Cholelithiasis, or the presence of gallstones, can result in complications such as cholecystitis, but on its own, it does not typically cause wall thickening unless there is a related inflammatory process. Cholesterol polyps are benign growths that do not generally lead to gallbladder wall thickening. Similarly, incidental gallbladder stones, which are found by chance and do not cause symptoms, do not produce changes in wall thickness.

Thus, cholecystitis best explains the condition of a thickened gallbladder wall in the context of sonographic findings.