Delayed gallstone ileus caused by a dropped gallstone presenting as atypical duodenal diverticulitis 22 years after cholecystectomy: a case report
Autori:
Igor Vrga, Antun Šarić, Boris Vrga
Sažetak
Summary
Gallstone ileus is a rare complication of cholelithiasis, accounting for 1% to 4% of mechanical small bowel obstructions. Presentation of the disease more than two decades after cholecystectomy is a rare clinical entity, most commonly caused by a retained gallstone in the abdominal cavity that erodes into the lumen of the digestive tract. We report the case of a 65-year-old female patient, who underwent cholecystectomy in 2004, initially presenting with abdominal pain and MSCT verification of an inflammatory mass in the area of the horizontal duodenum (D3), interpreted as complicated diverticulitis. Following transient improvement on conservative therapy, the patient developed signs of mechanical ileus after the initiation of enteral feeding, characterized by vomiting of fecaloid small bowel content (miserere). Emergency exploratory laparotomy revealed an impacted gallstone in the terminal ileum with severe venous stasis of the bowel wall. Due to ischemic changes, enterolithotomy was abandoned, and resection of the compromised small bowel segment with a primary latero-lateral anastomosis was performed. This case highlights the importance of maintaining a high index of suspicion for gallstone ileus, even in patients with a remote history of cholecystectomy. The erosion of a retained stone can clinically and radiologically mimic a perforated duodenal diverticulum, and the onset of fecaloid vomiting accompanied by an isolated rise in serum urea represents a key sign of severe bowel stasis due to distal obstruction.