Yang L, Wang T, Li XL, Wang YL. Cholecystitis with gallbladder rupture leading to free gallstone migration causing chronic abdominal wall sinus formation: A case report. World J Gastrointest Surg 2025; 17(7): 105308 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i7.105308]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Yan-Li Wang, Department of Plastic and Cosmetics Surgery, Zibo Central Hospital, No. 54 Gong-Qing-Tuan West Road, Zhang-Dian District, Zibo 255000, Shandong Province, China. wangyanliyangliu@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Gastrointest Surg. Jul 27, 2025; 17(7): 105308 Published online Jul 27, 2025. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i7.105308
Cholecystitis with gallbladder rupture leading to free gallstone migration causing chronic abdominal wall sinus formation: A case report
Liu Yang, Tao Wang, Xiu-Li Li, Yan-Li Wang
Liu Yang, Xiu-Li Li, Yan-Li Wang, Department of Plastic and Cosmetics Surgery, Zibo Central Hospital, Zibo 255000, Shandong Province, China
Tao Wang, Department of Ultrasonography, Zibo Central Hospital, Zibo 255000, Shandong Province, China
Author contributions: Wang YL initiated the project, and designed the experiment and conducted clinical data collection; Wang T and Li XL performed postoperative follow-up and recorded data; Yang L conducted a number of collation and statistical analysis, and wrote the original manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: The study obtained informed consent from patients.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Yan-Li Wang, Department of Plastic and Cosmetics Surgery, Zibo Central Hospital, No. 54 Gong-Qing-Tuan West Road, Zhang-Dian District, Zibo 255000, Shandong Province, China. wangyanliyangliu@163.com
Received: March 28, 2025 Revised: May 8, 2025 Accepted: May 20, 2025 Published online: July 27, 2025 Processing time: 117 Days and 3.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Gallstones are frequently observed in patients with cholecystitis, but the migration of free gallstones into the abdominal wall leading to chronic sinus formation is exceedingly rare.
CASE SUMMARY
We report a case of a 72-year-old woman who experienced recurring fever and abdominal pain following laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis, during which gallbladder rupture was noted. Despite initial conservative management and temporary T-tube placement, the patient developed a chronic sinus in the abdominal wall 9.5 years later, characterized by an area of thickened soft tissue with ulceration and purulent discharge. Surgical exploration revealed the presence of a migrated gallstone at the base of the sinus tract, necessitating careful surgical removal and postoperative wound care.
CONCLUSION
This case highlights the potential long-term complications of retained free gallstones and the importance of thorough surgical retrieval.
Core Tip: This case report details an exceptionally rare complication following laparoscopic cholecystectomy: Chronic abdominal wall sinus formation due to free gallstone migration. Despite initial conservative management, including T-tube placement for gallbladder rupture, the patient developed a persistent subcutaneous abnormality with ulceration and purulent discharge 9.5 years later. Surgical exploration confirmed the presence of a yellow-green stone-like material at the base of the sinus tract. This case highlights the importance of thorough surgical retrieval of all gallstones during cholecystectomy and underscores the potential long-term complications of retained free gallstones. Early recognition and appropriate management are crucial.
