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Case Reports
. 2008 Jul 9;2(2):219-23.
doi: 10.1159/000137375.

Anterior abdominal wall abscess secondary to subcutaneous gallstones

John A Murphy  1 , C Dale Vimalachandran, Nathan Howes, Paula Ghaneh
Affiliations
Case Reports

Anterior abdominal wall abscess secondary to subcutaneous gallstones

John A Murphy et al. Case Rep Gastroenterol. .

Abstract

Abdominal wall abscess secondary to spontaneous cholecystocutaneous gallstone fistulation is an uncommon presentation of a rare pathological process. Having been described relatively frequently in the 19th century, it is now much less common in the late 20th and early 21st century, probably due to earlier recognition of symptoms, better imaging and surgical treatment of biliary tract disease. Here we describe a report of a case with an unusual clinical presentation of the already rare pathological disease process of spontaneous cholecystocutaneous fistula.

Keywords: Abscess; Cholecystocutaneous fistula; Subcutaneous gallstones.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Computerised tomography image of three cholecystocutaneous gallstones located in the anterior abdominal wall in front of the liver (segment IV) represented by three areas of low attenuation.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Three large gallstones removed at surgery from the anterior abdominal wall cavity. Macroscopic appearance is that of cholesterol based gallstones with cholecystocutaneous fistulation confirmed on histological examination.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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