A rare variant of gallstone ileus: Bouveret's syndrome

Bouveret's syndrome: a strategic approach for management

An 81-year-old woman, diabetic and hypertensive, presented with nausea and intermittent vomiting. She had dysphagia and loss of appetite for over 6 weeks and significant weight loss over 3 weeks and was admitted in general surgery unit on emergency basis. Investigations revealed dilated stomach and a stone in first part of duodenum, with probable site of obstruction at level of first part of duodenum, secondary to a cholecystoduodenal fistula. With a preoperative diagnosis of Bouveret's syndrome, she underwent laparotomy and subtotal cholecystectomy. Postoperative recovery was delayed due to gastroparesis and delayed gastric emptying which resolved with conservative management. Successful management of this case required a multidisciplinary team approach. Early diagnosis was the key to management. Mode of treatment and management of Bouveret's syndrome should be tailored to suit patient's age, comorbidities and performance status.

Bouveret Syndrome: A Systematic Review of Endoscopic Therapy and a Novel Predictive Tool to Aid in Management

BACKGROUND AND GOALS

Bouveret syndrome is characterized by gastroduodenal obstruction caused by an impacted gallstone. Current literature recommends endoscopic therapy as the first line of intervention despite significantly lower success rates compared with surgery. The lack of treatment efficacy studies and the paucity of clinical guidelines contribute to current practices being arbitrary. The aim of this systematic review was to identify factors that predict outcomes of endoscopic therapy. Subsequently, a predictive tool was devised to predict the success of endoscopic therapy and recommendations were proposed to improve current management strategies of impacted gallstones in the upper gastrointestinal tract.

METHODS

A systematic search of PubMed, Medline, Cochrane, and Scopus was performed for articles that contained the terms "Bouveret syndrome," "Bouveret's syndrome," "gallstone" AND "gastric obstruction" and "gallstone" AND "duodenal obstruction" that were published between January 1, 1950 to April 15, 2018. Articles were reviewed by 3 reviewers and raw data collated. χ and Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests were used to test associations between predictors and endoscopic outcomes. A logistic regression model was then used to create a predictive tool which was cross validated.

RESULTS

Failure of endoscopic therapy is associated with increasing gallstone length (P<0.0001) and impaction in the distal duodenum (P<0.05). Using multiple endoscopic modalities is associated with better success rates (P<0.05). The novel predictive tool predicted success of endoscopic therapy with an area under the receiver operating characteristic score of 0.86 (95% confidence interval: 0.79-0.94).

CONCLUSION

In Bouveret syndrome, a selective approach to endoscopic therapy can expedite definitive treatment and improve current management strategies.

Laparoscopic Management of Bouveret's Syndrome after Failed Endoscopic Approach

Bouveret's syndrome is a complication of cholelithiasis that presents with gastric outlet obstruction due to an impacted gallstone in the duodenum following cholecystoduodenal fistula. This is a rare presentation of biliary-enteric fistula; therefore, there are no standardized guidelines for the management of this disease. We present a case of a patient with Bouveret's syndrome managed with laparoscopic surgery after an unsuccessful attempt of endoscopic removal.

Clinical and radiological diagnosis of gallstone ileus: a mini review

Gallstone ileus is a rare cause of bowel obstruction, which mainly affects the elderly population. The associated mortality is estimated to be up to 30%. The presentation of gallstone ileus is notoriously non-specific, and this often contributes to the delay in diagnosis. The diagnosis of gallstone ileus relies on a radiological approach, and herein we discuss the benefits and drawbacks of the use of different modalities of radiological imaging: plain abdominal films, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound scanning. Based on our case experience and review of the literature, the authors conclude that although an effective first-line tool, plain abdominal films are not adequate for diagnosing gallstone ileus. In fact, the gold standard in an acutely unwell patient is computed tomography.

Bouveret's syndrome complicated by classic gallstone ileus: progression of disease or iatrogenic?

CASE PRESENTATION

Bouveret's syndrome is a rare variant of gallstone ileus resulting in gastroduodenal obstruction from an impacted gallstone. We report two cases of Bouveret's syndrome that were complicated by classic (distal) gallstone ileus, which has previously been reported only twice. The first patient presented with vomiting, epigastric pain, and what was initially believed to be a duodenal diverticulum on computed tomography scan and endoscopy. He initially improved, but later developed symptoms of a small bowel obstruction. Repeat imaging revealed a classic distal gallstone ileus. The second patient presented with nausea, abdominal pain, and imaging consistent with Bouveret's syndrome. Multiple non-operative endoscopic techniques and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy were employed to fragment and retrieve the obstructing stone, and she subsequently developed a distal gallstone ileus from a stone fragment. Both patients were managed operatively with enterotomy and stone removal.

DISCUSSION

These cases highlight a rare complication of Bouveret's syndrome, classic (distal) gallstone ileus, and juxtapose the natural history of a stone passing versus an iatrogenic etiology. We review the presentation and management of Bouveret's syndrome though no clear consensus exists as to the optimal treatment of these patients. We recommend that therapy should be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Laparoscopic treatment of an upper gastrointestinal obstruction due to Bouveret’s syndrome

Bouveret’s syndrome is an extremely rare type of gallstone-induced ileus with atypical clinical manifestations, such as abdominal distension and pain, nausea and vomiting, fever or even gastrointestinal bleeding, which may easily be misdiagnosed. In the present case, a 55-year-old male was admitted to the hospital with upper gastrointestinal obstructive symptoms but without pain, fever, jaundice or melena. At first, gastrolithiasis and peptic ulcer combined with pyloric obstruction were suspected after gastroscopy revealed a large, hard stone in the duodenal bulb. A revised diagnosis of Bouveret’s syndrome was made following abdominal computed tomography. Subsequently, the patient exhibited a good postoperative recovery after laparoscopic duodenotomy for gallstone removal and subtotal cholecystectomy. The condition of the patient remained stable after being followed up for 6 mo. The successful application of laparoscopic therapy to treat Bouveret’s syndrome has seldom been reported. Laparoscopic enterolithotomy is safe and effective, with good patient tolerability, rapid postoperative recovery and few wound-related complications. The laparoscopic treatment of Bouveret’s syndrome is worth exploring.

Bouveret's syndrome: presentation of two cases with review of the literature and development of a surgical treatment strategy

BACKGROUND

Bouveret's syndrome causes gastric outlet obstruction when a gallstone is impacted in the duodenum or stomach via a bilioenteric fistula. It is a rare condition that causes significant morbidity and mortality and often occurs in the elderly with significant comorbidities. Individual diagnostic and treatment strategies are required for optimal management and outcome. The purpose of this paper is to develop a surgical strategy for optimized individual treatment of Bouveret's syndrome based on the available literature and motivated by our own experience.

CASE PRESENTATION

Two cases of Bouveret's syndrome are presented with individual management and restrictive surgical approaches tailored to the condition of the patients and intraoperative findings.

CONCLUSIONS

Improved diagnostics and restrictive individual surgical approaches have shown to lower the mortality rates of Bouveret's syndrome. For optimized outcome of the individual patient: The medical and perioperative management and time of surgery are tailored to the condition of the patient. CT-scan is most often required to secure the diagnosis. The surgical approach includes enterolithotomy alone or in combination with simultaneous or subsequent cholecystectomy and fistula repair. Lower overall morbidity and mortality are in favor of restrictive surgical approaches. The surgical strategy is adapted to the intraoperative findings and to the risk for secondary complications vs. the age and comorbidities of the patient.

Gastric outlet obstruction in a patient with Bouveret's syndrome: a case report

Background

Gallstone ileus accounts for 1% to 4% of cases of mechanical bowel obstruction, but may be responsible for up to 25% of cases in older age groups. In non-iatrogenic cases, gallstone migration occurs after formation of a biliary-enteric fistula. In fewer than 10% of patients with gallstone ileus, the impacted gallstones are located in the pylorus or duodenum, resulting in gastric outlet obstruction, known as Bouveret’s syndrome.

Case presentation

We report an 86-year-old female who was admitted to hospital with a 10-day history of persistent vomiting and prostration. She was in hypovolemic shock at the time of arrival in the emergency department. Investigations revealed a gallstone in the duodenal bulb and a cholecystoduodenal fistula. She underwent surgical gastrolithotomy. Unfortunately, she died of aspiration pneumonia on the fourth postoperative day.

Conclusion

This case shows the importance of considering Bouveret’s syndrome in the differential diagnosis of gastric outlet obstruction, especially in the elderly, even in patients with no previous history of gallbladder disease.

Disease spectrum and use of cholecystolithotomy in gallstone ileus transection

BACKGROUND

Gallstone ileus is a heterogeneous and highly morbid condition that suffers from a lack of consensus regarding the timing and approach to management of the biliary tree and associated fistula.

METHODS

We report three cases that demonstrate the spectrum of gallstone ileus with classical examples of both Barnard's and Bouveret's syndromes. Clinical presentation, diagnostic imaging, surgical technique and outcome are discussed.

RESULTS

One patient with Barnard's syndrome presented with recurrent gallstone ileus. To minimize the risks of complex, definitive biliary surgery and avoid further recurrent episodes, a cholecystolithotomy was performed with effect. Two cases of Bouveret's syndrome were successfully managed with enterolithotomy/cholecystectomy and multivisceral resection respectively, thus highlighting the diverse nature of this disease and management options.

CONCLUSIONS

Following enterolithotomy, potentially morbid, definitive one-stage surgery in typically compromised, elderly patients needs to be weighed against the risk of recurrence and ongoing biliary pathology. We suggest the use of open cholecystolithotomy for the removal of residual gallstones when the patient is not suitable for definitive biliary surgery.