Gallbladder rupture is common in laparoscopic cholecystectomy because the gallbladder is usually in acute or chronic inflammation status. The gallstones may sometime be spilled into the peritoneal cavity, resulting in intra-abdominal abscess if the gallstones were not retrieved. The diagnosis of intra-abdominal abscess caused by unretrieved gallstone can usually be correctly identified in the routine imaging studies, such as abdominal ultrasonography or computed tomography (CT). Here we present a case of abscess formation from unretrieved gallstone following laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which mimics the imaging findings of metastatic gallbladder adenocarcinoma.

This case described a 78-year-old man who received laparoscopic cholecystectomy and gallbladder adenocarcinoma was diagnosed after surgery. After adjuvant chemotherapy, the following up abdominal CT showed several small nodules at right upper abdomen and peritoneal carcinomatosis is considered. Repeated laparoscopic surgery for the excision of seeding tumor was conducted and the pathological diagnosis of the nodules and mass was inflammatory tissues and gallbladder stone.

Spilled gallstones are a common complication during laparoscopic cholecystectomy and some gallstones fail to be retrieved due to the size or the restricted view of laparoscopic surgery. For spilled gall bladder stones, surgeons may consider regular computerized tomography follow-up, and if necessary, laparoscopic examination can be used as a means of confirming the diagnostic and treatment.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is now considered the procedure of choice for uncomplicated symptomatic gallstone disease worldwide. Various biliary, vascular, gastrointestinal, neurological and local complications may be seen on imaging post surgery. Knowledge of these entities and imaging appearances is indispensable for the radiologist in today's era. We emphasize on the list of potential complications and imaging appearances of this surgical procedure.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has become a popular and widespread procedure for the treatment of gallstone disease. There is still an increasing concern about specific complications of LC due to gallbladder perforation and spillage of bile and stones. Although unretrieved intraperitoneal gallstones rarely become symptomatic, their infective complications may cause serious morbidities even after a long interval from LC.

We performed a review of the literature on the diagnosis, prevention, consequences, and management of lost gallstones. All studies with a focus on lost gallstones or perforated gallbladder were analyzed to evaluate the postoperative complications.

Between 1991 and 2015, >250 cases of postoperative complications of spilled gallstones were reviewed in the surgical literature. The most common complications are intraperitoneal abscesses and fistulas. Confusing clinical pictures due to gallstones spreading in different locations makes diagnosis challenging. Even asymptomatic dropped gallstones may masquerade intraperitoneal neoplastic lesions.

Every effort should be made to prevent gallbladder perforation; otherwise, they should be retrieved immediately during laparoscopy. In cases with multiple large spilled stones or infected bile, conversion to open surgery can be considered. Documentation in operative notes and awareness of patients about lost gallstones are mandatory to early recognition and treatment of any complications.

The increasing use of laparoscopic cholecystectomy has led to an increased frequency of gallbladder perforation and subsequent gallstone spillage in the abdominal cavity. Occasionally unretrieved gallstones can cause infection, adhesions, and obstruction. Furthermore, spilt stones can cause erosion into adjacent organs and can migrate to distant sites, causing a variety of complications. We report the unusual case of a patient who presented with spontaneous erosion of gallstones through Grynfeltt's triangle, 1 year after laparoscopic cholecystectomy and review the current literature.

To describe the spectrum of computed tomographic (CT) findings in patients with dropped gallstones or dropped surgical clips after cholecystectomy.

Seventeen patients diagnosed with dropped gallstones and 26 patients with dropped surgical clips on computed tomography after cholecystectomies were included in this study. The CT scans were evaluated for the number, location, size, and density of dropped gallstones or surgical clips and for the presence of an abscess. The cases were evaluated for the outcome on clinical and/or CT follow-up.

The location for dropped gallstones and dropped surgical clips after cholecystectomy was the Morrison's pouch in 17 and 12 patients, respectively. There were 9 abscesses in the study, all located in the Morrison's pouch. Duration from surgery to observation of abscess on computed tomography ranged from 5 days to more than 4.7 years. None of the patients with a dropped surgical clip from cholecystectomy developed an associated abscess.

Subhepatic location was the most common location for dropped gallstones with associated abscess and for dropped surgical clips. Dropped cholecystectomy clips are not associated with increased risk of abscess formation and therefore do not need screening follow-up or operative removal. Abscess formation around dropped gallstone is a more common complication and requires surgical treatment in most when associated with an abscess.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) has been the gold standard for symptomatic gallstones for 15 years. During that time, several studies and case reports have been published which outline the possible complications of lost gallstones. The aim of this review is to categorize these complications and to evaluate the frequency and management of lost gallstones.

A Medline search from 1987 to 2005 was performed. A total of 111 case reports and studies were found, and all reported complications were listed alphabetically. Eight studies with more than 500 LCs that reported lost gallstones and perforated gallbladder were analyzed for frequency and management of lost gallstones.

Lost gallstones have a low incidence of causing complications but have a large variety of possible postoperative problems. Every effort should be made to remove spilled gallstones to prevent further complications, but conversion is not mandatory.

We report a case of a patient who presented with a large flank abscess 18 months after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The patient underwent repeated percutaneous drainage but the abscess recurred. Further evaluation with ultrasound revealed subcutaneous tracks from the flank leading to the abdominal cavity and suspected stones in one of the tracks. Laparoscopy revealed dense adhesions at the level of the right gutter leading to a retroperitoneal track heading over to the flank. The tracks were partially opened, debrided, and two gallstones were retrieved from one of the retroperitoneal tracks. The patient's recovery was uneventful. This case demonstrates the potential migration of dropped gallstones to extraperitoneal sites leading to infectious complications. Careful dissection of the gallbladder with an attempt not to rupture it is important in order to prevent this complication. Once rupture does occur, efforts should be made to retrieve dropped stones from the peritoneal cavity. Patients presenting with intra- or extraperitoneal abscesses following laparoscopic cholecystectomy and no obvious source of infection should be evaluated for dropped stones.

Complications resulting from gallstones left in the peritoneal cavity are most often reported after laparoscopic treatment of cholelitiasis. Gallstones are frequently dropped in the posterior subhepatic space, which can lead to the development of abscesses that usually require laparotomy for extraction of the stones. We present a novel technique for treating collections associated with dropped gallstones, using retroperitoneoscopy with two 10-mm ports after ultrasound localization of the abscess. We carried out this procedure in two patients and successfully extracted the gallstones without postoperative complications or recurrences. We consider this approach to be technically feasible, safe, and effective. It avoids the usual inefficacy of simple percutaneous drainage of these collections and the complications associated with the drainage of intra-abdominal abscesses by laparotomy.

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is the treatment of choice for uncomplicated symptomatic gallstones. Spillage of stones due to gallbladder rupture has been reported in up to 33% of all LCs, but clinical sequelae caused by dropped gallstones are uncommon. We recently observed two patients with retained stones after LC. Correct diagnosis was made by abdominal ultrasonography (US) in both cases. In the first patient, who presented with fever, malaise, and weight loss 18 months after LC, abdominal US revealed hypoechoic focal lesions containing hyperechoic images with posterior shadowing of the liver and spleen. US-guided aspiration biopsies of these lesions yielded purulent material, and the injection and aspiration of saline solution provoked rolling movements of the hyperechoic images. Laparotomy confirmed the diagnosis of abscess-containing spilled gallstones. In the second patient, multiple hyperechoic images with posterior shadowing were observed in the Morison pouch during a routine US examination. The diagnosis of retained stones was consistent with the history of gallstone spillage during LC performed 2 months previously and was confirmed by computed tomographic findings of hyperdense images in the Morison pouch. The patient was asymptomatic, and treatment was thus deferred. Our experience suggests that US can be very useful in the detection of gallstones spilled during LC.

During laparoscopic cholecystectomy, gallbladder perforation has been reported, leading to bile leak and spillage of gallstones into the peritoneum. Because the consequences can be dangerous, conversion to laparotomy as an instant management for gallstone spillage is one of the topics of current discussion in laparoscopic cholesystectomy. In this article, we discussed the option of not converting to laparotomy after intraperitoneal gallstone spillage as an acceptable approach to management or not.A prospectively maintained database of 1528 consecutive laparoscopic cholecystectomies performed during a 10-year period at the 4th Surgical Clinic of The Ankara Numune Education and Research Hospital was analyzed. Perforations resulting in gallstone spillage into the abdominal cavity were documented in 58 (3.8%) patients. Among those 58 patients seven (12%) experienced complications from retained stones. To maintain acceptable management of such patients, surgeons should inform each patient preoperatively that stones may be spilled. In the event of spillage, the patient should be informed postoperatively, and followed closely for complications. Follow-up should not waste time and money with unnecessary examinations, and it should avoid psychological trauma to the patient with a wrong diagnosis of cancer as a stone may mimic cancer radiologically. Thus the surgeon should not hesitate to record the events and inform the patient about the spillage of the stones and possible consequences.

Despite its advantages, iatrogenic gallbladder perforation with resultant spillage of bile and gallstones is not uncommon during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Although this is not generally considered a significant problem, spilled gallstones may cause problems even years after the operation. Hyaluronic acid has been introduced into clinical practice and successfully used to decrease postoperative adhesions after abdominopelvic surgery. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of a hyaluronic-acid derivative in preventing complications related to spilled gallstones and bile leakage in an experimental study.

In 60 Wistar-Albino rats, an upper-midline abdominal incision was made, and the rats were divided into 5 groups (n = 12 in each group) as follows: group I = laparotomy alone; group II = laparotomy and intraperitoneal instillation of sterile bile plus gallstones; group III = laparotomy and instillation of infected bile and gallstones; group IV = laparotomy and instillation of sterile bile and gallstones plus hyaluronic acid; and group V = laparotomy and instillation of infected bile and gallstones plus HA. A second-look laparotomy was performed on postoperative day 10 to assess intraperitoneal adhesions and abscesses. Intraperitoneal adhesions were scored, and breaking strengths of gallstones were measured.

Adhesion scores were significantly higher in groups II and III compared with groups I, IV, and V (P < 0.05). There was a statistically significant decrease in breaking strengths and adhesion scores in groups IV and V compared with groups II and III (P < 0.001).

Whether infected or not, spilled gallstones and bile caused postoperative adhesions in this experimental model. An HA derivative significantly prevented postoperative adhesions and decreased breaking strengths. Further clinical studies are needed to validate these findings.

Peritoneal gallstone spillage occurs frequently during laparoscopic cholecystectomy when the gallbladder is accidentally opened. Many authors have reported peritoneal abscess formation as a complication of this surgical situation. We describe a case of late peritoneal abscess formation, developing 4 years after laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and the surgical management thereof.

The purpose of this work was to investigate the ultrasound (US) and CT features of dropped gallstones mimicking peritoneal seeding in patients after laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LCC).

We describe the US and CT features of dropped gallstones mimicking peritoneal seeding in eight patients who underwent LCC. We also conducted a retrospective study of consecutive LCC patients who subsequently had CT to determine the prevalence of this condition.

The density of dropped gallstones on CT ranged from hypodense to partially or completely calcified nodules. Some stones did not have visible surrounding reaction, whereas others showed an enhancing halo. All stones were echogenic and demonstrated shadowing on US. The stones were located mostly on the right side of the abdomen, and the majority were around the liver. The prevalence of dropped gallstones post laparoscopic cholecystectomy was 4.2%.