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[Milk of calcium bile syndrome in children. 2 cases]
Insights
Milk of calcium cholecystitis, a rare pediatric gallbladder condition, presents with abdominal pain. Surgical removal of the gallbladder (cholecystectomy) is an effective treatment for this condition in children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Surgery
- Gastroenterology
- Radiology
Background:
- Milk of calcium cholecystitis is an uncommon gallbladder condition.
- It is rarely documented in pediatric populations.
Observation:
- Two pediatric cases (ages 4 and 13) presented with abdominal pain and vomiting.
- Abdominal X-rays revealed characteristic milk of calcium within the gallbladder and obstructing stones.
Findings:
- Surgical intervention involved cholecystectomy with preoperative cholangiography.
- Neither biochemical nor pathological analysis clarified the disease's cause.
- Only four prior pediatric cases were identified in existing literature.
Implications:
- This study highlights the presentation and management of milk of calcium cholecystitis in children.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the pathogenesis of this rare pediatric condition.
Abstract:
Milk of calcium cholecystitis is a rare entity in children. Two cases are reported here, each in a boy aged respectively 4 and 13. The symptoms were limited to abdominal pain with or without vomiting. Plain X-ray of the abdomen showed the usual milk of calcium picture, with calcified deposits within the gallbladder and an obstructing stone at the site of the gallbladder neck or the cystic duct. Surgery consisted simply of cholecystectomy with preoperative cholangiogram. Neither biochemical analysis of the gallbladder contents, nor the pathological examination of the gallbladder wall helped in determining the pathogenesis of the disease. Only four other cases of milk of calcium cholecystitis in children have been found by the authors in the literature, where a number of adult cases have been described.