A Rare Case of Emphysematous Cholecystitis

Emphysematous cholecystitis is an acute infection of the gallbladder wall caused by gas-forming organisms. It is infrequent with insidious onset and diagnosed by the use of radiographs detecting presence of air within the gallbladder wall or lumen. The report describes the case of a 42-year-old alcoholic male who presented with sudden onset of pain in the right upper quadrant of abdomen, fever and bilious vomiting of two days duration. The patient did not have symptoms of jaundice. Emergency partial cholecystectomy was done and the culture directed antibiotics were given. The patient was followed up for 4 years and he remained asymptomatic.