Cholecystogastric fistula presenting with haematemesis: diagnosed by endoscopic retrograde cholangiography

The case is reported of a 72-year-old woman suffering from morbid obesity, who presented with haematemesis while on anti-coagulant therapy. The source of the bleeding proved to be the gastric exit of a cholecystogastric fistula. Subsequent cholangitis was successfully treated by endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC) and endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) while simultaneously the extent of the fistula was established. Cholecystectomy and closure of the fistula was contraindicated because of her morbid obesity. She remained well for 6 months but then presented with a gallstone ileus while another stone was found to be escaping from the gastric fistula. Her morbid obesity resulted in surgical procrastination, which eventually proved fatal. This patient experienced both of the most common types of complication in cholecysto-enteral fistulation, cholangitis and gallstone ileus. Although cholecysto-enteral fistulas (CEF) are probably less common than several decades ago, they are now most likely to be diagnosed during ERC. Gastroenterologists therefore need to be aware of their potential to contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of this surgical condition.