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Emphysematous cholecystitis

Case contributed by Stefan Tigges
Diagnosis certain

Presentation

Right upper quadrant pain in a patient with a biliary stent placed for bile duct cancer.

Patient Data

Age: 60 years
Gender: Male
x-ray

Biliary stent. Air outlines the gall bladder.

ct

Biliary stent appropriately positioned with pneumobilia and dilated bile ducts. Extensive gas within the gall bladder wall.

Case Discussion

The mural gas in emphysematous cholecystitis results from necrosis of the gallbladder wall. The high mortality of emphysematous cholecystitis is due to gallbladder gangrene and associated gallbladder perforation. In this case, the pneumobilia was due to the biliary stent.

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