Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2009 Jan-Mar;13(1):73-6.

Spilled gallstones mimicking peritoneal metastases

Bobby V M Dasari  1 , William Loan, Declan P Carey
Affiliations
Case Reports

Spilled gallstones mimicking peritoneal metastases

Bobby V M Dasari et al. JSLS. 2009 Jan-Mar.

Abstract

Background: Spillage of bile and gallstones due to accidental perforation of the gallbladder wall is often encountered during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Although spilled stones were once considered harmless, there is increasing evidence that they can result in septic or other potential complications.

Case report: We report a case of spilled gallstones mimicking peritoneal metastases on radiological investigations; diagnosis was confirmed by diagnostic laparoscopy.

Conclusion: Every effort should be made to retrieve spilled gallstones during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. When all the stones cannot be retrieved, it should be documented in the patient's medical records to avoid delay in the diagnosis of late complications. Diagnostic laparoscopy is useful when the radiological investigations are inconclusive.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
CT scans of the abdomen and pelvis, demonstrating multiple hyperdense soft tissue nodules mimicking peritoneal metastases.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Woodfield JC, Rodgers M, Windsor JA. Peritoneal gallstones following laparoscopic cholecystectomy: incidence, complications, and management. Surg Endosc. 2004;18:1200–1207 - PubMed
    1. De Simone P, Donadio R, Urbano D. The risk of gallbladder perforation at laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Surg Endosc. 1999;13:1099–1102 - PubMed
    1. Schafer M, Suter C, Klaiber C, Wehrli H, Frei E, Krahenbuhl L. Spilled gallstones after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A relevant problem? A retrospective analysis of 10,174 laparoscopic cholecystectomies. Surg Endosc. 1998;12:305–309 - PubMed
    1. Rice DC, Memon MA, Jamison RL, et al. Long-term consequences of intraoperative spillage of bile and gallstones during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. J Gastrointest Surg. 1997;1:85–91 - PubMed
    1. Zehetner J, Shamiyeh A, Wayand W. Lost gallstones in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: all possible complications. Am J Surg. 2007;193:73–78 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources