Gallbladder volvulus: A case report and review of the literature

Gallbladder volvulus (GV) is a rare disease with less than 400 cases reported in the English literature. The pre-operative diagnosis of GV is difficult as none of the imaging modalities are accurate. Once diagnosed, the mainstay of treatment is emergency surgical derotation and cholecystectomy.

A 83-old lady presented with right upper quadrant pain and fever for 3 days. Abdominal imaging revealed the presence of a distended, floating gallbladder located outside its normal fossa with thickened non-enhancing wall and a twisted pedicle suggestive GV. The patient underwent emergency laparotomy because the laparoscopic approach was refused by the anesthetist due to the history of pulmonary emphysema. Intraoperatively, the gallbladder was found be gangrenous and rotated in anti-clockwise direction around the cystic pedicle. The gallbladder was de-rotated followed by cholecystectomy.

GV is an uncommon cause for abdominal pain and occurs due to rotation of gall bladder on its mesentery along the axis of the cystic duct and the cystic artery. Pre-operative diagnosis continues to be a major challenge with only 4 cases reported in the literature diagnosed with pre-operative imaging. This case is one of the rare cases diagnosed with pre-operative imaging. It is often misdiagnosed as acute cholecystitis before surgery. However, critical constellation of presenting signs and symptoms along with radiological findings may guide the surgeon to accurate and timely diagnosis of GV before surgical intervention.

Although rare, it is important to consider GV as a differential diagnosis in an elderly patient with acute cholecystitis.