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Updated: May 14, 2026
04:02
Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy with Indocyanine Green Fluorescence: Choledochoscopic Stone Extraction and Primary Duct Suture
Published on: November 25, 2025
Stump stone 6 years after cholecystectomy: a possibility
Manash Ranjan Sahoo1, Anil Kumar
1Department of General Surgery, S.C.B. Medical College, Cuttack, Odisha, India. manash67@gmail.com
BMJ Case Reports
|February 5, 2013
Summary
A retained cystic duct stone caused recurrent pain in a woman years after gallbladder removal. Surgeons must consider stump stones as a cause of post-cholecystectomy syndrome.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Abdominal Surgery
Background:
- Post-cholecystectomy syndrome (PCS) can manifest with various symptoms, including abdominal pain.
- Retained calculi in the cystic duct remnant are a recognized, though less common, cause of PCS.
Observation:
- A 36-year-old woman experienced recurrent right upper quadrant pain over several months.
- Initial investigations including ultrasound, CT, and MR cholangiopancreatography were inconclusive or normal.
- Previous endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) with sphincterotomy and stenting was performed elsewhere.
Findings:
- Laparoscopic stump exploration revealed a calculus (stone) within the cystic duct remnant.
- This stump stone was identified as the cause of the patient's recurrent pain, occurring 6 years post-cholecystectomy.
Implications:
- Cystic duct stump stones should be considered in the differential diagnosis of PCS, even years after the initial surgery.
- Surgeons should maintain awareness of this potential complication to ensure accurate diagnosis and treatment.
- Laparoscopic stump exploration can be an effective diagnostic and therapeutic approach for suspected stump lithiasis.
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