Gallstone ileus masquerading as recurrent carcinoma of the ovary

A case of gallstone ileus in a patient with carcinoma of the ovary is presented. A 78-year-old female with stage III carcinoma of the ovary underwent optimal debulking surgery followed by six courses of chemotherapy and a microscopically positive second-look laparotomy. She was treated by whole-abdomen pelvic radiation. She then developed progressive nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension, and eventually complete small bowel obstruction. The diagnosis of gallstone ileus was made preoperatively based on the radiological findings. The pathophysiology of gallstone ileus is discussed in the differential diagnosis of patients treated for carcinoma of the ovary.