Gallstone ileus, a rare cause of intestinal occlusion. A case report.

Recurrent gallstone ileus has a recurrence of 2-8.2% with a mortality of 12-20%, secondary to an enteric or cholecystic gallstone. A male patient with a diagnosis of intestinal occlusion secondary to biliary ileus and cholecystoduodenal fistula, performing enterotomy and closure in two planes with drainage placement. Two months after presenting the clinical of intestinal occlusion, medical management began and an abdominal tomography was performed, finding an image suggestive of recurrent gallstone ileus, treated with laparotomy.

El íleo biliar recurrente tiene una frecuencia del 2-8.2% y una mortalidad del 12-20%, que se presenta de forma secundaria a un cálculo biliar entérico o colecístico. Varón que cursa con diagnóstico de oclusión intestinal secundaria a íleo biliar y fístula colecistoduodenal. Se realiza enterotomía y cierre en dos planos con colocación de drenaje. Dos meses después, el paciente presenta un cuadro clínico de oclusión intestinal, por lo que se inicia manejo médico y se realiza la correspondiente tomografía computarizada abdominal, encontrando una imagen sugestiva de íleo biliar recurrente, con manejo por laparotomía.

[Gallstone ileus, surgical management review]. / Íleo biliar, revisión del manejo quirúrgico.

BACKGROUND: Gallstone ileus (GI) represents a rare cause of mechanical intestinal occlusion, which is caused by the impaction of a gallstones at the gastrointestinal tract, being most frequently the terminal ileum; its etiology is due to the passage of a calculum through a biliary-enteric fistula. Due to its low incidence, diagnostic suspicion and adequate initial surgical treatment are essential for an adequate clinical evolution. OBJECTIVE: A bibliographic review on the current surgical management of GI was carried out and exemplified by the presentation a clinical case. CLINICAL CASE: 78-year-old male with bowel obstruction, upon undergoing a CT scan, a gallstone at the level of distal ileum is displayed, therefore, an exploratory laparotomy (ex lap) is performed with enterotomy and extraction of the calculus. The patient bestowed adequate postoperative clinical evolution, and the presence of a cholecystoduodenal fistula is documented by an upper endoscopy. DISCUSSION: GI represents an uncommon pathology, however, there is discrepancy in the literature regarding the initial surgical management, especially in whether or not a biliary procedure should be associated with emergency enterolithotomy. CONCLUSION: GI is associated with complications secondary to diagnostic delay and its late surgical resolution, although the initial treatment is aimed at resolving the intestinal obstruction through enterotomy and gallstone extraction, there is controversy regarding the preferred time for cholecystectomy and repair of biliary-enteric fistula, being the two-stage surgery the surgical procedure of choice, especially in patients with a high risk of complications.

ANTECEDENTES: El íleo biliar (IB) es una causa poco frecuente de oclusión intestinal mecánica, causado por la impactación de un cálculo biliar en el tubo digestivo, siendo la localización más frecuente el íleon terminal; se debe al paso de un cálculo a través de una fístula bilioentérica. Debido a su baja incidencia, la sospecha diagnóstica y el tratamiento quirúrgico inicial adecuado son de gran importancia para la evolución clínica. OBJETIVO: Realizar una revisión bibliográfica sobre el manejo quirúrgico actual del IB y ejemplificarlo mediante la presentación de un caso clínico. CASO CLÍNICO: Varón de 78 años con cuadro de oclusión intestinal, con presencia de cálculo biliar en el íleon distal por tomografía. Se realiza laparotomía exploradora con enterotomía y extracción del cálculo. Cursa con adecuada evolución posquirúrgica, documentándose fístula colecistoduodenal por panendoscopia. DISCUSIÓN: El IB es una patología poco común, por lo cual existe discrepancia en cuanto al tipo de manejo quirúrgico ideal, sobre todo en si se debe o no asociar un procedimiento biliar a la enterolitotomía de urgencia. CONCLUSIÓN: El IB se asocia a complicaciones secundarias al retraso diagnóstico y a una mala elección de la técnica quirúrgica inicial. Si bien el tratamiento está encaminado a resolver la obstrucción intestinal mediante enterotomía y extracción del cálculo biliar, existe controversia en cuanto al tiempo preferido para realizar la colecistectomía y la reparación de la fístula bilioentérica, siendo la cirugía en dos tiempos el procedimiento quirúrgico de elección, sobre todo en pacientes con alto riesgo de complicaciones.

Cholecystoduodenal fistula, an infrequent complication of cholelithiasis: Our experience in its surgical management. / Fístula colecistoduodenal, complicación infrecuente de litiasis vesicular: nuestra experiencia en su manejo quirúrgico.

INTRODUCTION: Bilioenteric fistulas are the abnormal communication between the bile duct system and the gastrointestinal tract that occurs spontaneously and is a rare complication of an untreated gallstone in the majority of cases. These fistulas can cause diverse clinical consequences and in some cases be life-threatening to the patient. AIM: To identify the incidence of bilioenteric fistula in patients with gallstones, its clinical presentation, diagnosis through imaging study, surgical management, postoperative complications, and follow-up. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted to search for bilioenteric fistula in patients that underwent cholecystectomy at our hospital center due to cholelithiasis, cholecystitis, or cholangitis, within a 3-year time frame. RESULTS: Four patients, 2 men and 2 women, were identified with cholecystoduodenal fistula. Their mean age was 81.5 years. Two of the patients presented with acute cholangitis and 2 presented with bowel obstruction due to gallstone ileus. All the patients underwent surgical treatment and the diagnostic and therapeutic management of each of them was analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of cholecystoduodenal fistula was similar to that reported in the medical literature. It is a rare complication of gallstones and its diagnosis is difficult due to its nonspecific symptomatology. It should be contemplated in elderly patients that have a contracted gallbladder with numerous adhesions.

Íleo biliar: reporte de un caso de fístula colecistoduodenal asociada a hernia inguinal izquierda / Gallstone ileus: a case report of cholecystoduodenal fistula associated with leftinguinal hernia

Biliary ileus, first described byThomas Bartholin in the year1654, is a rare cause of mechanical ileus (small bowel obstruction) (1-3% in patients younger than 65 years), increasing significantly from that age (25%). The necessarycondition forthis pathologyis the presence ofa fistula between the gallbladderandthe gastrointestinaltract. Simple abdominal X-ray and ultrasonography are widely available and of relatively low cost, together presenting a sensitivity of 74% when they show the classic signs of Rigler’s triad (pneumobilia, ectopic gallstone and dilated loops of small intestine), but computed tomography of the abdomen is considered the gold standard, with a sensitivity and specificity higher than 90%. The aim of this article is to present a case of radiological diagnosis of biliary ileus in a patient with vesicular lithiasis + cholecystoduodenal fistula, associated with inguinal hernia on the left.

El íleo biliar, descrito por primera vez por Thomas Bartholin en el año 1654, constituye una causa poco frecuente de íleo mecánico (1-3% en menores de 65 años) aumentando significativamente a partir de esa edad (25%). La condición necesaria para esta patología es la presencia de una fístula entre la vesícula biliar y el tracto gastrointestinal. La radiografía simple de abdomen y la ecografía son de amplia disponibilidad y coste relativamente bajo, presentando en conjunto una sensibilidad del 74% cuando manifiestan los signos clásicos de la tríada de Rigler (neumobilia, lito biliar ectópico y dilatación de asas de intestino delgado), pero se considera que la tomografía computada de abdomen es el gold standard, con una sensibilidad y especificidad superiores al 90%. El objetivo de este artículo es presentar un caso de diagnóstico radiológico de íleo biliar en un paciente con litiasis vesicular + fístula colecistoduodenal asociadas a hernia inguinal izquierda.

Novel treatment options for Bouveret's syndrome: a comprehensive review of 61 cases of successful endoscopic treatment.

INTRODUCTION: In Bouveret's syndrome, a biliary stone obstructs the duodenum. Surgical treatment is plagued by high morbidity and mortality. Therefore, endoscopic treatment has become a first-line approach. Areas covered: A literature search of Medline and Google Scholar databases was performed using the terms endoscopic treatment, non-operative treatment, Bouveret's syndrome, and gallstone ileus. Sixty-one cases of successful endoscopic treatment were found over the period 1978-2016 and are summarized herein. Therapeutic modalities used in 52 patients with complete success included mechanical lithotripsy (40% of cases), electrohydraulic lithotripsy (21% of cases), extraction of the intact stone and laser lithotripsy (15% of cases each), extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy and duodenal stenting (4% of cases each). In the remaining 9 patients, stone fragments migrated distally and required surgical removal. Cholecystectomy was performed in five (8.2%) of 61 patients and gallbladder cancer was detected in three (4.9%) patients. Expert commentary: Meticulous preparation, including that of instruments, personnel, patient anesthesia, and X-ray availability, is key to success in this unusual situation. Partial success (stone fragmentation and mobilization to another location) may render surgery easier as these patients present with dense adherences in the right upper quadrant. Cholecystectomy is reserved for highly selected patients (e.g. relapsing ileus, gallbladder cancer).

[Gallstone ileus, an uncommon cause of bowel obstruction]. / Íleo biliar, causa poco frecuente de obstrucción intestinal.

Gallstone ileus is a rare complication of cholelithiasis. It is characterized by bowel obstruction secondary to gallstone impaction at some point of the gastrointestinal tract due to the existence of a bilioenteric fistula. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate our experience through a retrospective study, covering a 12-year period. It included 14 cases (10 women and 4 men) with a median age of 81 years; 11 of the patients had comorbidities. The main analytic alteration was an increase in urea (median 79mg/dl). Diagnosis was confirmed through abdominal computed tomography in 10 cases and plain abdominal x-ray in 4. The stone was located in the jejunum in 6 cases, the ileum in 6, and the sigmoid colon in one; the mean stone size was 3cm. There were 11 cases of cholecystoduodenal fistula, one case of cholecystocolonic fistula, and one idiopathic fistula. Two patients died, including the patient that did not undergo surgery.

Gallstone ileus: One-stage surgery in a patient with intermittent obstruction.

Gallstone ileus, an uncommon complication of cholelithiasis, is described as a mechanical intestinal obstruction due to impaction of one or more large gallstones within the gastrointestinal tract. The clinical presentation is variable, depending on the site of obstruction, manifested as acute, intermittent or chronic episodes. A 51-year-old female patient was referred to our hospital with 3 events of intestinal obstruction during the previous 7 d. At admission, there were clinical signs of intestinal obstruction; abdominal film demonstrated dilated bowel loops, air-fluid levels and a vague image of a stone in the inferior left quadrant. Once stabilized, a laparotomy was performed. Surgical findings were distention of the jejunum and ileum proximal to a palpable stone in the ileum as well as gallstones and a cholecystoduodenal fistula in the gallbladder. An enterolithotomy, repair of the cholecystoduodenal fistula and cholecystectomy were performed. The postoperative course was uneventful. There is no uniform surgical procedure for this disease. When the patient is too ill or when biliary surgery is not advisable, an enterolithotomy is the best option. The one-stage procedure should be the offered to adequately stabilized patients when local and general conditions, such as good cardiorespiratory and metabolic reserve permit a more prolonged surgical procedure.