Laparoscopic-Assisted Enterolithotomy for Gallstone Ileus

Abstract

Gallstone ileus is a rare complication of cholelithiasis seen usually in elderly population with comorbidities. Most of the cases present as acute intestinal obstruction with the diagnosis being made intraoperatively. There exists controversy regarding appropriate emergency surgical treatment of gallstone ileus as to whether biliary tract surgery should be done during the first operation. Laparoscopy in recent years is also being used for management of such cases. We report a case of gallstone ileus diagnosed preoperatively and successfully treated by laparoscopic-assisted enterolithotomy.

Gall stone ileus: Unfamiliar cause of bowel obstruction. Case report and literature review

“…The laparoscopic approach essentially emulates the open enterolithotomy approach. The potential advantages are shorter hospital stay and reduced morbidity associated with laparotomy [ 27 ]. The prerequisites when attempting laparoscopic surgery are that the surgeon is experienced with the laparoscopic technique and is capable of intracorporeal stitching.…”

Less is more: an outcome assessment of patients operated for gallstone ileus without fistula treatment

“…All the procedures performed at the authors’ center were via a laparotomy incision. The successfulness of laparoscopic enterolithotomy has been reported only in a few single cases in the literature [27] , [28] , [29] , [30] . The authors consider patients with gallstone ileus as a high-risk population of elderly patients with co-morbidities that are at risk of a delayed diagnosis; factors that collectively contribute to the significant morbidity and mortality rates associated with this condition.…”

Transvaginal Hybrid NOTES Procedure for Treatment of Gallstone Ileus

“…The ideal surgical procedure for gallstone ileus remains controversial [ 6 , 7 ]. Reported procedures include enterolithotomy alone, or with the addition of cholecystectomy and fistula repair.…”