Post-traumatic gangrenous acalculous cholecystitis: A case report

Abstract

Acute acalculous cholecystitis in trauma patients is an elusive diagnosis, more so if the patient sustained blunt abdominal trauma. It can arise as a post-traumatic or postsurgical complication, occurring more in critically ill patients. A high index of suspicion for acalculous cholecystitis must be maintained for critically ill patients with newly developing symptoms or septicaemia.

We describe a case of a 27-year-old male patient who sustained blunt abdominal trauma in a road traffic accident. He had at least grade III liver injury and later developed gangrenous acalculous cholecystitis, which was confirmed histopathologically after open cholecystectomy.

Keywords: gangrenous acalculous cholecystitis; trauma; cholecystectomy