Acute posttraumatic acalculous cholecystitis.

A series of 18 patients who had acute posttraumatic acalculous cholecystitis over a 12 year period was presented. An attempt was made to determine the etiologic factors involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. Large amounts of parenteral narcotics administered over a prolonged period were evident in all patients. Narcotic-induced biliary stasis appeared to be the prime factor involved in the genesis of acalculous cholecystitis after trauma. Other factors such as the presence of shock, respiratory failure, acute renal failure, parenteral hyperalimentation, and multiple transfusions were less prevalent and were not temporally related to the onset of the disease.