Post-Traumatic Gallbladder Injury in Children: Case Rapport

Abstract

Post-traumatic injuries of the gall bladder are rare. We report through a clinical description of its physio-pathological and evolutionary aspects. A 14-year-old boy was received 48 hours after a stabbing attack. After initial haemorrhage, the patient presented clinical improvement; then a sudden deterioration with vague symptoms and disturbance of the hepatic balance. The abdominal CT scan revealed a perivesicular hematoma with a focus on hepatic contusion. Laparoscopy showed a penetrating sore of the liver, but the exploration was limited by an important inflammation of the digestive tract. The diagnosis of gall bladder perforation was made during the operation. We performed a cholecystectomy by laparotomy. Postoperative evolution was simple, removal of the slides at D + 4 and discharged at D + 7 postoperative after improvement. At the 6th month, he presented an acute intestinal obstruction on bridles, managed at emergency by open surgery. After one year of follow up, the patient has no symptoms. We note that the vague clinical presentation and the limit of imaging examinations made the early diagnosis of a vesicular perforation a real challenge for the clinician. Cholecystectomy remains the optimal treatment.