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
. 2021 Dec 22;8(1):e722.
doi: 10.1002/ams2.722. eCollection 2021 Jan-Dec.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallbladder torsion in a 3-year-old child

Sunao Uemura  1 , Hiromichi Maeda  1 , Masayuki Obatake  1 , Tsutomu Namikawa  1 , Hiroyuki Kitagawa  1 , Yuki Fujieda  1 , Yuka Nishimoto  2 , Yusuke Morishita  2 , Mikiya Fujieda  2 , Kazuhiro Hanazaki  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallbladder torsion in a 3-year-old child

Sunao Uemura et al. Acute Med Surg. .

Abstract

Background: Gallbladder torsion is a congenital abnormality of the gallbladder and is a rare cause of acute abdomen. Although gallbladder torsion is a life-threatening condition requiring emergency surgery, laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallbladder torsion in pediatric patients has seldom been reported.

Case presentation: A 3-year-old boy with abdominal pain and vomiting was admitted to our hospital. He was diagnosed with acute cholecystitis through abdominal ultrasound and computed tomography, and he received antibiotics. Two days after admission, a repeat abdominal ultrasound revealed exacerbation of gallbladder wall thickness and lack of intramural blood flow, which led to a diagnosis of gallbladder torsion. Emergency laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed, and the gallbladder was twisted counterclockwise at 270°. After an uneventful course of intraoperative and postoperative treatment, the patient was discharged on postoperative day 6.

Conclusion: Laparoscopic cholecystectomy for gallbladder torsion was safely performed in a pediatric patient.

Keywords: Gallbladder torsion; laparoscopic cholecystectomy; pediatric patient.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Preoperative findings in a 3‐year‐old child with gallbladder torsion who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A, Day 1 of admission: abdominal enhanced computed tomography shows swelling of the gallbladder with ascites. Contrast effects on the gallbladder wall are observed. B, Day 2 of admission: abdominal ultrasonography reveals exacerbation of gallbladder wall thickness, 12 mm in size, and lack of intramural blood flow.
Fig 2
Fig 2
Intraoperative findings in a 3‐year‐old child with gallbladder torsion who underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. A, The gallbladder is twisted 270° counterclockwise at the level of cystic duct and mesentery. B, The gallbladder is untwisted clockwise to the natural position. There is a small amount of mesentery between the cystic duct and liver bed, which is classified as type I according to the Gross classification.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Al‐Mulhim AS, Abdulatif MM, Ali AM. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy in children with sickle cell disease. Saudi J. Gastroenterol. 2006; 12: 130–4. - PubMed
    1. Levard G, Weil D, Barret D, Barbier J. Torsion of the gallbladder in children. J. Pediatr. Surg. 1994; 29: 569–70. - PubMed
    1. Gross RE. Congenital anomalies of the gallbladder. Arch. Surg. 1936; 32: 131–62.
    1. Inoue S, Odaka A, Hashimoto D, Tamura M, Osada H. Gallbladder volvulus in a child with mild clinical presentation. Pediatr. Radiol. 2011; 41: 113–6. - PubMed
    1. Farnsworth TC, Weiss CA. Diagnosis and treatment of gallbladder torsion in a 6 year old. JSLS. 2013; 17: 327–9. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types