Septic lithiasis of the pelvis

Abstract

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has become a standard technique for the treatment of symptomatic cholelithiasis. Despite a significant reduction in the complication rate with increasing experience, bile duct injury and gallstone spillage still occur more frequently with this approach than with the open procedure. Unretrieved gallstones, in particular, have been associated with late infection and the formation of abscesses in virtually every area of the abdominal cavity. We present a rare case of an isolated pelvic abscess that developed in a postmenopausal woman 5 months after laparoscopic cholecystectomy for recurrent cholecystitis. The preoperative differential diagnosis of this case is also discussed.