Surgical clip migration following laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A rare cause of acute cholangitis

Clip migration following laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) is a rare and late complication of LC. The first case of surgical clip migration after LC was reported in 1992, and since then less than 100 cases have been reported in the literature. We report the case of cholangitis secondary to a surgical clip migration in an 83 years old male patient, 8 years after LC. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography of the abdomen (CT) showed intra and extrahepatic ducts dilatation secondary to a hyperdense object located in the distal common bile duct (CBD). It was removed successfully from the CBD by endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography after sphincterotomy. At the last follow-up of one year after her admission, the patient is symptom-free with normal liver enzyme and abdominal CT. Surgical clip migration into CBD, should be included in the differential diagnosis while treating patients with the past surgical history of LC. Early diagnosis and treatment of this complication can avoid serious complications.