Abstract
We experienced a case of emphysematous cholecystitis that we could reach the diagnosis in the early stage of this disease by checking the abdominal CT daily. We report this case in detail and six other cases experienced in the last four years.
A man in his fifties came to the hospital complaining of abdominal pain in the right upper quadrant since the day after a colonoscopy. He was suspected as having ileus by abdominal CT and a long tube was inserted. But the pain continued to develop gradually, so we checked the abdominal CT the next day. We found gas formation in the gallbladder, and diagnosed it as emphysematous cholecystitis. Open cholecystectomy was performed, and the patient was discharged on the eighth post-operative day.
Emphysematous cholecystitis needs early treatment, because it sometimes causes severe complications. Abdominal CT findings can play an important role for the diagnosis, but diagnosis in the early stage is very difficult. In our cases, it takes 3 days on average before detecting air in the gallbladder. If the symptoms of cholecystitis continue to develop, the abdominal CT must be checked repeatedly for an early diagnosis.
