Gallstone ileus in an ederly patient Case report.

AIM: To report an another case of gallstone ileus in ederly patient that was treated with simple enterolithotomy.

MATERIAL OF STUDY: We report a case of 84 years old female that was admitted with intestinal obstruction. A CT scan suggested small bowel obstruction secondary to gallstone ileus. In relation to the overall clinical condition, we decided to perform a simple enterolithotomy.

DISCUSSION: The first case of a cholecysto intestinal fistula with a gallstone within the gastro intestinal tract was described n 1654 by, Thomas Bartholin in a necropsy study. It constitutes the etiologic factor in less than 5% of cases of intestinal obstruction, but up to one quarter of nonstrangulated small bowel obstructions in elderly patients.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion gallstone ileus is increasingly common, especially in the context of an aging population in developed helthcare system. It is an important differential diagnosis in ederly patients presenting with small bowel obstruction because it has a high mortality rate.

KEY WORDS: Enterolithotomy, Gallstone ileus, Intestinal obstruction.