An Intra-Abdominal Abscess as a Late Complication of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy / 대한내과학회지

ABSTRACT

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is the treatment of choice for cholelithiasis. It is used more commonly than open cholecystectomy because of the convenience of a short hospital stay and earlier return to work, and for aesthetic reasons. Nevertheless, there are complications that are encountered more frequently than in open cholecystectomy due to the smaller operating window. Here, we report the case of a 73-year-old woman who underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy 15 years earlier and now presented with abrupt abdominal pain. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed a past cholecystectomy with an abscess pocket abutting the abdominal wall, with a stone inside it. Incision and drainage were done and the stone was removed laparoscopically. This case shows that late complications, such as abscess formation due to lost GB stones during laparoscopic cholecystectomy, can occur, even after 15 years.