Isolated complete avulsion of the gallbladder (near traumatic cholecystectomy): a case report and review of the literature

Injury of the gallbladder after blunt abdominal trauma is an unusual finding; the reported incidence is less than 2%. Three groups of injuries are described: simple contusion, laceration, and avulsion, the last of which can be partial, complete, or total traumatic cholecystectomy. A case of isolated...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical case reports 2011-08, Vol.5 (1), p.392-392, Article 392
Main Authors: Pavlidis, Theodoros E, Lalountas, Miltiadis A, Psarras, Kyriakos, Symeonidis, Nikolaos G, Tsitlakidis, Anastasios, Pavlidis, Efstathios T, Ballas, Konstantinos, Flaris, Nikolaos, Marakis, Georgios N, Sakantamis, Athanassios K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Care and treatment
Case Report
Case studies
Cholecystectomy
CT imaging
Diagnosis
Gallbladder cancer
Health aspects
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Summary:Injury of the gallbladder after blunt abdominal trauma is an unusual finding; the reported incidence is less than 2%. Three groups of injuries are described: simple contusion, laceration, and avulsion, the last of which can be partial, complete, or total traumatic cholecystectomy. A case of isolated complete avulsion of the gallbladder (near traumatic cholecystectomy) from its hepatic bed in a 46-year-old Caucasian man without any other sign of injury is presented. The avulsion was due to blunt abdominal trauma after a car accident. The rarity of this injury and the stable condition of our patient at the initial presentation warrant a description. The diagnosis was made incidentally after a computed tomography scan, and our patient was treated successfully with ligation of the cystic duct and artery, removal of the gallbladder, coagulation of the bleeding points, and placement of a drain. Early diagnosis of such injuries is quite difficult because abdominal signs are poor, non-specific, or even absent. Therefore, a computed tomography scan should be performed when the mechanism of injury is indicated.
ISSN:1752-1947
1752-1947
DOI:10.1186/1752-1947-5-392