Is gallstone ileus serious?

Is gallstone ileus serious?

Since gallstone ileus constitutes a form of mechanical small bowel obstruction, it can be a surgical emergency and requires open or laparoscopic surgery to remove an impacted stone.

What is the treatment for gallstone ileus?

Conclusions. In the treatment approach for cases of gallstone ileus, selection of surgical method should be based on the impaction site. Two-stage surgery is recommended for cases with impaction at the level of the small intestine, while one-stage surgery is recommended for cases with impaction at other sites.

What is the meaning of gallstone ileus?

Gallstone ileus is an important, though infrequent, cause of mechanical bowel obstruction, affecting older adult patients who often have other significant medical conditions. It is caused by impaction of a gallstone in the ileum after being passed through a biliary-enteric fistula.

Is gallstone ileus an emergency?

Gastrointestinal obstruction due to gallstones is an infrequent emergency condition caused by impaction of stones derived from the gallbladder passing through the cholecysto-intestinal fistula.

Can gallstone cause ileus?

Epidemiology. Gallstone ileus is an uncommon complication of gallstone disease, occurring in about 0.5% of cases. It accounts for only about 1-4% of causes of intestinal obstruction, but up to 25% of cases of intestinal obstruction in those over the age of 65.

Is gallstone ileus common?

Gallstone ileus occurs in 0.3% to 0.5% of all patients with gallstones and is one of the rarest causes of gallstone ileus, occurring in about less than 0.1% of all mechanical obstruction cases and 1% to 4% of non-strangulating mechanical small bowel obstructions.

Where does gallstone ileus get stuck?

The gallstone enters the intestinal tract through a fistula formed between the gallbladder and the duodenum, stomach or colon. In particular, a cholecystodudenal fistula was identified in 68% of patients with gallstone ileus [6]. The terminal ileum is the most frequent site of obstruction [1].

How common is gallstone ileus?

How does gallstone ileus present?

Gallstone ileus may be manifested as acute, intermittent or chronic episodes of gastrointestinal obstruction. Nausea, vomiting, crampy abdominal pain and variable distension are commonly present[1,9,13,17,25,32].

How is gallstone ileus diagnosed?

Computed tomography. Computed tomography (CT) is considered superior to plain abdominal films or US in the diagnosis of gallstone ileus cases, with a sensitivity of up to 93%[44].