Cholecystolithotomy, a new approach to reduce recurrent gallstone ileus

Gall Stone Ileus and Recurrence: Management Dilemma for the Operating Surgeon

Gallstone ileus (GSI) is a rare complication of gallstone disease. It occurs as a result of the passage of a stone from the biliary tract into the gastrointestinal tract via an abnormal pathway (bilio-enteric fistula). Chronic inflammatory processes result in gall bladder adhering and subsequently eroding into the intestines, leading to a fistula. It is a surgical emergency seen in the elderly who often present as being unwell, with abdominal pain, distension, and vomiting. Imaging such as a CT scan is diagnostic in confirming small bowel obstruction. Management usually involves relief of obstruction by removing the impacted gallstone. Despite surgical intervention, a small proportion of patients develop recurrent symptoms or recurrent gallstone ileus, usually within a few weeks of initial presentation. The recurrence of symptoms during index admission is extremely rare and can be challenging to diagnose and manage. The morbidity and mortality remain high in elderly patients. We report an 89-year-old patient who presented with small bowel obstruction. The CT scan confirmed gallstone ileus as a result of a stone impacted in the mid-small bowel. The patient had a laparotomy with extraction of the stone. No migrating stones were felt proximally. Five days postoperatively, he developed recurrent gallstone ileus confirmed on a CT scan and had to undergo another surgery to relieve the obstruction. We aim to investigate various management strategies for recurrent gallstone ileus, ranging from the commonly practiced approach of simple stone extraction to more definitive surgical interventions, including fistula repair, which may provide a more comprehensive solution.

Surgical Management of Gallstone Ileus: Approach, Outcome, Case Report, and Literature Review

Gallstone ileus (GSI) is a condition caused by migrating gallstones lodged in the terminal ileum. Stone migration results from fistula formation, typically between the gallbladder and duodenum, termed a cholecystoduodenal fistula. This mechanical obstruction has high mortality and requires prompt intervention. This discussion focuses on two GSI cases caused by cholecystoduodenal fistula managed by the surgical removal of the mechanical obstruction and a conservative approach to the fistula. Patient 1 is a 51-year-old male with no significant past medical history. After radiological imaging and laboratory findings raised concern for cholecystoduodenal fistula, the patient underwent a diagnostic laparoscopy with small bowel resection. The second patient is a 74-year-old female with a past medical history of hypertension, myocardial infarction, and laparoscopic uterine lift. The patient underwent diagnostic laparoscopy, lysis of adhesions, mini-laparotomy, and segmental small bowel resection with primary anastomosis. Many factors lead to gallstone formation, including gender, genetics, ethnicity, etc. Fistulas are formed from chronic inflammation and tissue necrosis from gallstone pressure on surrounding tissue. Classic radiologic findings of GSI are pneumobilia, bowel obstruction, and gallstones outside the gallbladder. The most common approach to GSI management is solely relieving the mechanical obstruction by an enterotomy proximal to the obstruction, associated with reduced mortality. Both patients had good outcomes which we attributed to our surgical removal of the small bowel obstruction and a non-operative approach to the cholecystoduodenal fistula.

Comparing outcomes of operative management of intestinal obstruction due to gallstone ileus using NSQIP database

Introduction

Gallstone ileus is an uncommon etiology of intestinal obstruction, although many cases require surgical repair. There is no consensus regarding the necessity of concomitant cholecystectomy. (CCY) at the time of index surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of gallstone ileus in patients with and without CCY.

Methods

Using the ACS NSQIP database from 2005 to 2019, we included patients who underwent surgical management of gallstone ileus (enterolithotomy) with or without CCY. The primary outcomes of interest were surgical site infection (SSI) and 30-day mortality. Additional outcomes of interest included readmissions related to the procedure, length of hospital stay (LOS), return to the operating room, and sepsis. Demographics were evaluated using univariate analysis, whereas outcomes of interest were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression.

Results

A total of 825 cases of gallstone ileus were identified among 118 patients who underwent cholecystectomy. Patient characteristics were similar between the groups. No concomitant cholecystectomy was associated with a longer hospital stay (8 days vs. five days, p<0.01) and tended to be more likely to return to the operating room (45 cases vs. 4 cases, p = 0.08), but this was not statistically significant. No concomitant CCY was associated with increased SSI rates, readmissions related to the procedure, 30-day mortality, or sepsis.

Conclusion

Surgical management of gallstone ileus with or without CCY has similar short-term postoperative outcomes.

OUP accepted manuscript

Gallstone ileus (GSI) is a rare pathology, affecting 0.3–0.5% of people with cholelithiasis and accounting for 0.1% of mechanical bowel obstructions. It carries a high mortality of 12–27%. The rate of recurrence following a first episode of GSI is relatively high at 5–20%. Very early recurrence, within the first week, poses several challenges in both diagnosis and management. This case describes an 84-year-old woman who presented with a mechanical bowel obstruction secondary to gallstone impacted in the distal jejunum. This was managed operatively and the patient progressed well. The patient developed an early recurrent gallstone ileus, confirmed on computed tomography (CT) on Day 7 postoperatively. This was initially mistaken for a postoperative ileus. Early recurrent gallstone ileus can easily be mistaken for more common postoperative complications. Given its high mortality, consideration should be given to early investigation with CT to rule out recurrent GSI.

A nationwide analysis of gallbladder surgery in England between 2000 and 2019

BACKGROUND

There are no reports on nationwide trends in subtotal cholecystectomy (STC) and cholecystostomy in England. We hypothesized that, as in the United States, a substantial increase in the utilization of these surgical procedures, over time, may be observed. We aimed to generate a reliable report on 4 of the most common gallbladder surgical procedures in England to allow cross-procedure comparisons and highlight significant changes in the management of benign gallbladder disease over time.

METHODS

We obtained data from NHS Digital and extracted population estimates from the Office of National Statistics. We examined the trends in the use of STC, cholecystostomy, cholecystolithotomy and total cholecystectomy (TC) between 2000 and 2019.

RESULTS

Of the 1,234,319 gallbladder surgeries performed, TC accounted for 96.8% (n = 1,194,786) and the other 3 surgeries for 3.2% (n = 39,533). The total number of gallbladder surgeries performed annually increased by 80.4% from 2000 to 2019. We detected increases in the counts of cholecystostomies by 723.1% (n = 290 in 2000 vs n = 2,387 in 2019) and STCs by 716.6% (n = 217 in 2000 vs n = 1,772 in 2019). Consequently, there was a decrease in the ratio of TC to STC (180:1 in 2000 vs 38:1 in 2019). A similar decrease was observed in the ratio of cholecystectomy to cholecystostomy (135:1 in 2000 vs 29:1 in 2019).

CONCLUSION

Increased utilization of STC and cholecystostomy was detected in England. These findings highlight the importance of regular monitoring of nationwide trends in gallbladder surgery and the associated clinical outcomes.

Gallstone Ileus with COVID-19 Infection: An Unintended Sequela of Non-Operative Management of Acute Cholecystitis During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Appropriate risk stratification and careful follow-up are mandated in elderly patients with comorbidities. Herein, we report a case presenting 5 months after the nonoperative management of acute cholecystitis during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gallstone ileus after recent cholecystectomy. Case report and review of the literature

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

Gallstone ileus in cholecystectomized patients is very infrequent and when it happens shortly after surgery is even rarer. We report the case of a patient who presented Gallstone ileus few days after open cholecystectomy which has not been reported before in literature.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 52-year-old male with a history of recent open cholecystectomy was referred to our center due to a presumable surgical complication. During his hospitalization while trying to restart the oral route he presented abdominal pain and nausea. He evolved toward a bowel obstruction. We suspected gallstone ileus based on medical history as well as preoperative image study. We confirmed the diagnostic using a Computed Tomography. Surgical management was performed and a large gallstone was extracted from the bowel. The patient progressed favorably and was discharged. He was asymptomatic during the follow-up.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

Cholecystectomized patients who have been reported with Gallstone ileus demonstrate different pathophysiological mechanisms or extraordinary presentations. This case describes a unique presentation illustrating relevant aspects of this pathology such as showing that acute cholecystitis can be its clinical manifestation or that it could happen after a cholecystoenteric fistula is found during a cholecystectomy.

CONCLUSION

Gallstone ileus in cholecystectomized patients is very rare. Clinical suspicion remains the cornerstone of diagnosis.

Focus on management of gallstone ileus

Gallstone ileus is a rare form of intestinal obstruction and an uncommon complication of gallstone disease resulting from the impaction of one or more gallstones in the bowel owing to biliary intestinal fistula. The increasing incidence of gallstone ileus is related to the high prevalence of cholelithiasis, the aging of the population, and the more sensitive diagnostic tools. The diagnosis is often delayed due to the lack of typical clinical manifestations. In this paper, we discuss the pathogenesis of gallstone ileus, factors that result in its diagnosis, and therapeutic strategies by performing a systematic review of the literature. We also emphasize the specificity and complexity of gallstone ileus. We suggest that on the basis of observing the basic principles, the management should be rationalized and individualized in clinical practice so as to improve the prognosis of gallstone ileus.

Rare recurrent gallstone ileus: A case report

BACKGROUND

The management of recurrent gallstone ileus (GSI) is unsatisfactory, and there is no consensus on how to reduce the incidence of recurrent GSI.

CASE SUMMARY

A 79-year-old man presented to the Emergency Department of our hospital complaining of abdominal pain. An abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan revealed cholecystolithiasis, intrahepatic bile duct dilatation, gas accumulation, small intestinal obstruction, and circular high-density shadow in the intestinal cavity. Emergency surgery revealed that the small intestine had extensive adhesions, unclear gallbladder exposure, obvious adhesions, and difficult separation. The obstruction was located 70 cm between the ileum and the ileocecum, which was incarcerated by gallstones, and a simple enterolithotomy was carried out. On the third day after the operation, he had passed gas and defecated and had begun a liquid diet. On the fifth day after the operation, he suddenly experienced abdominal distension and discomfort. Emergency CT examination revealed recurrent GSI, and the diameter of the stone was approximately 2.0 cm (consistent with the shape of cholecystolithiasis on the abdominal CT scan before the first operation). The patient’s symptoms were not significantly relieved after conservative treatment. On the ninth day after the operation, emergency enterolithotomy was performed again along the original surgical incision. On the twentieth day after the second operation, the patient fully recovered and was discharged from the hospital.

CONCLUSION

We believe that a thorough examination of the bowel and gallbladder for gallstones based on preoperative imaging during surgery and removal of them as far as possible on the premise of ensuring the safety of patients are an effective strategy to reduce the recurrence of GSI.

A case report and review of the literature of Bouveret syndrome

Bouveret syndrome is a rare variant of gallstone ileus causing gastric outlet obstruction. It results from the formation of either a cholecystoduodenal or a cholecystogastric fistula and subsequent migration of gallstone into the duodenum or pylorus of stomach, causing obstruction. The first case was reported by Leon Bouveret in 1896. We report a case illustrating the rarity and severity of this condition, together with a review of the literature of the different methods of endoscopic and surgical treatment.