Case report - Bouveret's syndrome with pancreatitis: A rare combination

Bouveret's syndrome is characterised by gastric outlet obstruction due to impaction of gallstone in the duodenum through a cholecystoduodenal fistula, having concurrent pancreatitis makes it an even rarer presentation.

We present an 82-year-old woman who presented with acute pancreatitis which she described 2 days of right upper quadrant pain with nausea and vomiting. Biliary obstruction signs were not present. She was known to have cholelithiasis but was for non-operative management due to significant cardiac history and multiple comorbilities.

On initial examination, abdomen was soft with mild right upper quadrant tenderness. Murphy sign was negative. Lipase level was raised at 64,261U/L with cholestasis appearance on liver function test. Bouveret's syndrome was later diagnosed on CT after symptoms of gastric outlet obstruction surfaced during her admission.

An on-table endoscopic stone retrieval was done as first-line treatment. After multiple attempts of stone retrieval via endoscopy, surgical extraction of the impacted gallstone was required. Patient's post-operative care was further challenged by effects from pancreatitis. Patient eventually recovered well and was discharged from hospital.

When managing patients with gallstone pancreatitis, presence of persistent vomiting should raise suspicion of Bouveret's syndrome. Bouveret's syndrome can be diagnosed in these patients with aid of CT imaging or endoscopy. Stone extraction is required to treat Bouveret's syndrome, endoscopic retrieval is first-line therapy as surgery has mortality risk of 12-30%. Prolonged recovery period can be expected due to concurrent inflammatory effects from acute pancreatitis.