Isolated Traumatic Gallbladder Rupture

ABSTRACT

Gallbladder (GB) injuries after blunt abdominal trauma are uncommon. An isolated blunt GB injury is extremely rare, due to the anatomic location of the GB that is protected by the liver, intestines, omentum and ribs. A GB injury follows a vague and insidious clinical course, and therefore GB injuries are commonly undiagnosed until an exploratory laparotomy is performed. Early diagnosis is important, as trauma to the GB should be treated surgically and a delay in treatment can result in considerable mortality and morbidity. We encountered a patient who was diagnosed with a GB rupture based on computed tomography that showed a hemoperitoneum, high-density material in the GB lumen and a leakage of contrast material. The patient underwent an exploratory laparotomy. We report a case of isolated GB rupture after blunt abdominal trauma.