Patients with acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) often present with acute abdominal symptoms. However, recent clinical studies have suggested that some patients with AAC and an acute abdomen, especially when caused by viruses or rheumatic disease, may not require cholecystectomy and that conservative treatment is adequate. Whether cholecystectomy is superior to conservative treatment for patients with AAC presenting with a severe acute abdomen is still uncertain. This was a case series study of AAC-related literature published between 1960 and 2022. In total, 171 cases (104 viral infection-associated AAC and 67 rheumatic disease-associated AAC) were included. The prognoses of patients receiving cholecystectomy or conservative treatment were compared. To account for confounding factors, etiological stratification and logistic regression were performed. The prognosis was similar for patients undergoing cholecystectomy and conservative treatment (P value .364), and virus infection-associated AAC had a better prognosis than rheumatic disease-associated AAC (P value .032). In patients with AAC caused by viruses or rheumatic disease, the acute abdomen can be adequately managed by conservative treatment of the underlying etiology and does not mandate surgical intervention.

A 14-year-old adolescent girl presented with severe abdominal pain, tenderness, and guarding in the right upper quadrant associated with nonbilious vomiting, scleral icterus, and fever. Laboratory tests were consistent with acute hepatitis A virus-related cholestatic hepatitis. A point-of-care ultrasound showed mild gallbladder wall thickening with increased color Doppler flow and pericholecystic fluid collection, in the absence of gallstones or biliary ducts dilatation, thus suggesting acute acalculous cholecystitis. Both the clinical symptoms and the point-of-care ultrasound findings completely resolved within 1 week after admission with conservative treatment.

Gastrointestinal involvement is a common complain observed in 40-60% of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. We performed a systematic review of clinically severe and potential life-threatening gastrointestinal manifestations and discuss clinical presentation, pathogenesis and treatment.

We performed a literature search in English literature using PubMed and Embase from 2000 to December 2020. The following MeSH terms: systemic lupus erythematosus, protein-losing enteropathy, ascites, pancreatitis, vasculitis, intestinal vasculitis, enteritis and diarrhea published in the English literature.

We identified 141 studies (case reports, case series and cohort studies). The most frequent presenting symptoms are acute abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Many of the manifestations were associated with disease activity. Histological features are rarely available, but both vasculitis and thrombosis have been described. There is no treatment guideline. The majority of patients were treated with corticosteroids and the most common immunososupressant were azathioprine, cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate.

Vasculitis and thrombosis may be responsible for severe life-threatening manifestations such as pancreatitis, protein loosing gastroenteritis, acalculous cholecistyitis and enteritis.

Acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) is an extremely rare manifestation of systemic lupus erythematous (SLE). In previous reports, most of the patients were already diagnosed cases of SLE upon confirmation of AAC.

A 24-year-old female who initially presented with fever and acute right upper quadrant abdominal pain. She had no medical history.

Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography (CT) showed gallbladder thickening with pericholecystic edema without gallstones or sludge, demonstrating acalculous cholecystitis. She revealed discoid rash on the both shin. Laboratory tests revealed pancytopenia. The titer of antinuclear antibody (ANA) was 1:1280. Anti-dsDNA antibody, anti-phospholipid antibody, anti-Sm antibody test, and proteinuria in 24 hours were positive. Both C3 and C4 were low. Echocardiography and chest CT showed pericardial effusion and pleural effusion. Using the 2019 European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology (EULAR/ACR) classification criteria, the score was 31. We thought AAC of this case that was one of the initial manifestations of SLE.

The patient was treated with high-dose prednisolone (1 mg/kg) and hydroxychloroquine 400 mg.

After 4 days of administration of high-dose corticosteroid therapy, symptoms rapidly improved. After 35 days of the treatment, her symptoms and disease activity of SLE were markedly improved.

Although AAC being the initial manifestation of SLE is very rare, prompt diagnosis and management with corticosteroids precluded surgical intervention. Physicians need to be cognizant of AAC as a disease flare and as a rare initial manifestation of SLE.

A 69-year-old Japanese woman was transferred to our hospital due to pancytopenia with a fever. She had Murphy's sign, and computed tomography showed pleural effusion and a swollen gallbladder without gallstones. We diagnosed her with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-associated acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC). Partly because her clinical and laboratory findings were not serious enough to warrant immediate surgical intervention, and partly because her poor general condition made her ineligible for surgery, surgical therapy was not selected. Corticosteroid therapy was performed with azathioprine, and the swelling in her gallbladder improved. As a conservative therapy for SLE-associated AAC, corticosteroid therapy combined with azathioprine might be beneficial.

There is no consensus of treatments for acute acalculous cholecystitis with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study was aimed to investigate the effect of the corticosteroid for these patients.A series of patients who were diagnosed as acute acalculous cholecystitis with SLE in the period from January 2012 to December 2016 at our hospital were included. They accepted 2 different conservative treatment strategies initially: the treatment using moxifloxacin (the antibiotic group), and the treatment using corticosteroid combined moxifloxacin (the corticosteroid group). Then clinical manifestations, laboratory features, and outcomes were analyzed.The study identified 22 women Han Chinese patients with the SLE history of 2.8 ± 1.4 year. There was no significant difference in SLE history, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index-2000 (SLEDAI-2000), Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology damage index (SLICC/ACR), hematologic examination results, and corticosteroid dosage between 2 groups. And there was no significant difference in the symptom of acute cholecystitis, duration of the symptoms, white blood level, and the thickness of gallbladder wall between 2 groups either. However, the SLEDAI-2000 of the corticosteroid group was lower than that of the antibiotic group (7.3 ± 1.4 vs 10.7 ± 3.0, P = .03), so was the SLICC/ACR (0.1 ± 0.3 vs 0.3 ± 0.5, P = .01). Moreover, total 11 of 12 patients were successfully treated in the corticosteroid group, only 1 patient got cholecystectomy because no improvement after conservative treatment. While 4 of 10 patients were successfully treated by moxifloxacin alone, 6 patients had to accept cholecystectomy in the antibiotic group. The rate of successful conservative treatment in the corticosteroid group was higher than that of the antibiotic group (P = .02). All patients were followed up at least 6 months, there was no statistical difference in the rate of recurrence of abdominal pain between 2 groups (P = .37).The corticosteroid plays an important role in the management of the acalculous cholecystitis patient with SLE, and it should be considered as a first line of treatment.

Acute acalculous cholecystitis is a very rare gastrointestinal manifestation in systemic lupus erythematosus and becomes rarer as an initial manifestation. There are only two cases reported. The authors report a 20-year-old black woman that presented acute acalculous cholecystitis revealed by abdominal computed tomography. During hospitalization, she was diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus. Conservative treatment with antibiotics was performed with complete remission of the symptoms. Corticosteroid was started in ambulatory. Cholecystectomy has been the treatment of choice in acute acalculous cholecystitis as a complication of systemic lupus erythematosus. The patient responded well to conservative treatment, and surgery was not required. This case is unique in the way that corticosteroid was started in ambulatory care. We should not forget that the acute acalculous cholecystitis can be the initial presentation of systemic lupus erythematosus although its occurrence is very rare. Conservative treatment should be considered. Abdominal computed tomography was a determinant exam for better assessment of acute acalculous cholecystitis.

Acute acalculous cholecystitis is uncommon in pediatrics and more likely to be encountered in adult patients. Signs and symptoms of acute cholecystitis are similar to other causes of acute abdominal pain such as pancreatitis, gastritis, and acute appendicitis, further making diagnosis difficult. We present a case of acute acalculous cholecystitis in a child with cystic fibrosis and discuss the role of emergency physician bedside sonography in the evaluation of right-upper-quadrant pain.