Case Report: Retained gallstone migrating to the chest wall after cholecystectomy presenting as chronic abscess, sinus tract, and inflammatory pseudotumor - Summary - MDSpire
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Case Study: Migration of a Retained Gallstone to the Chest Wall Following Cholecystectomy Resulting in Chronic Abscess, Sinus Tract, and Inflammatory Pseudotumor
To report a unique case of a retained gallstone migrating to the chest wall two years after cholecystectomy, resulting in chronic abscess and inflammatory pseudotumor.
Approach:
Case Presentation: A 61-year-old woman presented with right chest pain and a palpable mass after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Imaging revealed a soft tissue mass with features suggestive of malignancy.
Surgical Intervention: Surgery revealed a cystic mass containing a gallstone, with histopathology confirming chronic inflammation and abscess formation.
Key Findings:
Gallstones can migrate to extra-abdominal sites, as demonstrated in this case.
Imaging findings in this case initially suggested malignancy, highlighting the need for clinical suspicion.
Surgical excision of the mass resulted in resolution of symptoms.
Interpretation:
This case illustrates the potential for retained gallstones to cause significant pathology in atypical locations.
Limitations:
This is a single case report, limiting generalizability.
Follow-up data is limited to six months post-surgery.
Conclusion:
This case demonstrates that retained gallstones can lead to chronic issues in the chest wall after cholecystectomy.
An ancillary analysis found less than 2-percentage-point differences in 10-year recurrence across margin thresholds, with no statistically significant adjusted association.
