Acute acalculous cholecystitis: a complication of hyperalimentation

In a 5 year period, eight patients in whom acute acalculous cholecystitis developed during intravenous hyperalimentation are reviewed with emphasis on factors contributing to pathogenesis. Gallbladder distention, biliary stasis, and bile inspissation, thought to be important in the pathogenesis of this disease, are enhanced with the use of hyperalimentation, and this potential complication is being seen with increasing frequency in seriously ill or injured patients who are being fed parenterally. In addition to hyperalimentation, sepsis, hypotension, multiple transfusions (more than 10 units), prolonged fasting, and ventilatory support were frequent common denominators. Typical findings of pain, tenderness, and a mass in the right upper abdominal quadrant are infrequent, and the diagnosis rests on a high index of suspicion and ultrasonography. This syndrome may be preventable by the stimulation of gallbladder emptying with intermittent fat ingestion or parenteral infusion of cholecystokinin.