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
. 2023 Feb 7:11:2050313X231153756.
doi: 10.1177/2050313X231153756. eCollection 2023.

An unusual case of mechanical bowel obstruction due to cholecysto-intestinal fistula and impacted gallstone: A case report and literature review

Ioannis G Gkionis  1 , Theofanis G Kokkinakis  1 , Andreas F Strehle  1 , Mathaios E Flamourakis  2 , Michail I Giakoumakis  1 , Marios A Mannaris  1 , Eleni I Kaloeidi  1 , Eirini S Apostolaki  3 , Manousos S Christodoulakis  2 , Aggelos Laliotis  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

An unusual case of mechanical bowel obstruction due to cholecysto-intestinal fistula and impacted gallstone: A case report and literature review

Ioannis G Gkionis et al. SAGE Open Med Case Rep. .

Abstract

Gallstone ileus is a rare entity and constitutes an uncommon complication of gallstone disease. It is caused by the impaction of a gallstone in the gastrointestinal tract and may cause serious symptoms or even life-threatening complications. It should be part of the differential diagnosis of acute abdomen especially in patients presenting with signs and symptoms of bowel obstruction and known gallstone disease. An early diagnosis is essential, and surgical treatment is the gold standard in order to relieve the obstruction. We present the case of an 84-year-old male patient with gallstone ileus due to cholecysto-intestinal fistula and impacted gallstone at jejunum. He was treated via urgent enterolithotomy, and his post-operative period was uneventful. This report aims to further educate clinical doctors on this rare medical condition which may pose a potentially serious health risk.

Keywords: Intestinal obstruction; gallstones; intestinal fistula; signs and symptoms; surgical procedures.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
CT scan of the abdomen depicting a 2.8-cm diameter gallstone in the jejunum causing mechanical bowel obstruction. The arrow demonstrates the gallstone.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
CT scan of the abdomen showing abnormal communication between gallbladder and GIT. The arrow demonstrates the cholecystoduodenal fistula.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Extraction of the gallstone through an incision on the antimesenteric edge of the bowel.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Alemi F, Seiser N, Ayloo S. Gallstone disease: cholecystitis, mirizzi syndrome, bouveret syndrome, gallstone ileus. Surg Clin North Am 2019; 99(2): 231–244. - PubMed
    1. Nuño-Guzmán CM, Marín-Contreras ME, Figueroa-Sánchez M, et al.. Gallstone ileus, clinical presentation, diagnostic and treatment approach. World J Gastrointest Surg 2016; 8: 65–76. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Inukai K. Gallstone ileus: a review. BMJ Open Gastroenterol 2019; 6: e000344. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yamauchi Y, Wakui N, Asai Y, et al.. Gallstone ileus following endoscopic stone extraction. Case Rep Gastrointest Med 2014; 2014: 271571. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Petrillo P, Green D, Haag S, et al.. Multiple gallstones causing ileus twenty years after cholecystectomy. J Surg Case Rep 2022; 2022(9): rjac415. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources