Gallstone ileus – a well-known, but rarely encountered cause for small bowel obstruction

Abstract

Gallstone ileus is a well-known cause of small bowel obstruction in the radiological literature. In the experience of these authors, gallstone ileus occurs more often in quiz cases for registrars than in the everyday casework of a radiologist. The here presented case of a gallstone ileus provides a good opportunity to summarize cause, clinical presentation, radiological findings, and treatment options for both those studying for the specialist examinations and those whose specialist examinations are long past.

Keywords

• Gallstone ileus
• small bowel obstruction
• Rigler triad