A Path Less Travelled: A Case Report of an Unusual Trip of a Gall Stone

Gall stone ileus is one of the rare complications of patients with cholelithiasis and usually affects elderly females. The usual sites for the stone to get impacted are the distal ileum and ileocaecal valve. Computed tomography (CT) remains diagnostic and surgery is the treatment of choice. A 60-year-old diabetic female, who was diagnosed with gall stone-induced pancreatitis one month ago, presented to the surgical emergency department with complaints of right upper abdominal pain with recurrent vomiting and constipation of five days duration. The patient was managed conservatively. A provisional diagnosis of subacute intestinal obstruction was kept and a barium meal follow-through (BMFT) was requested. However, BMFT was inconclusive. After two weeks, she presented again to the emergency department with clinical features of subacute intestinal obstruction. The patient was planned for exploratory laparotomy in view of recurrent episodes of obstruction and the presence of peritonism. Intraoperatively, we encountered a cholecystogastric fistula with a gall stone of size approximately 6.5x4 cm impacted at approximately 60 cm from the ileocaecal junction and dilated proximal small bowel loops. The surgical procedure comprised enterolithotomy and cholecystectomy along with repair of cholecystogastric fistula done. The patient had an uneventful postoperative course. Gall stone ileus is a rare cause of small bowel obstruction. Gall stone ileus presenting with a recent history of pancreatitis further makes the suspicion very unlikely.