Acute cholecystitis in the immediate postoperative period following esophagogastrectomy

Postoperative acute cholecystitis (PAC) occurs after 0.06 per cent of all operations. However, PAC may occur in up to 3.1 per cent of patients after gastrectomy. This increased incidence of PAC is due to bile stasis and gall bladder ischemia promoted by vagotomy and gastrohepatic ligament dissection during gastrectomy. Despite similar factors during esophagogastrectomy PAC is rarely reported in large American series of patients undergoing esophagogastrectomy. We report two cases of PAC occurring after esophagogastrectomy.