Schistosomiasis as a cause of acute cholecystitis

Abstract

Schistosomal cholecystitis is remarkably uncommon disease which is associated with concomitant gallstone disease. The disease prevails with low socio-economic conditions of population. It is still not clear that the widespread fibrocalcific reaction in the wall of gallbladder and the cystic duct, observed for all the reports, predisposes to cholelithiasis or gallstones coexist. In the present study, we report a case of the Saudi male patient affected with schistosomal granulomatous lithiasic cholecystitis. The patient's gallbladder was badly inflamed therefore performing a safe cholecystectomy in the patient was extremely difficult. Also, infection with schistosoma is related with chronic granulomatous inflammation making the cholecystectomy procedure difficult and risky, therefore, we mainly focused on preventing the injury of bile duct by being prepared that the patient will present a complicated case. This was achieved by using the technique of laparoscopy to safely excise the gall bladder.

Figure 1

Microscopic image of gall bladder wall showing the presence of Schistosoma haematobium (40x magnification; Haemotoxylin and Eosin staining).

Figure 2

Chronically inflamed gall bladder wall showing the presence of parasitic eggs (Schistosoma haematobium) (40X magnification; Haemotoxylin and Eosin staining).