“Target sign” from dropped gallstones after laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Abstract

Isolated case reports and small series in radiologic and surgical literature relay the different modes of clinical presentation that arise secondary to spillage of gallstones during surgery. We report a case of a 70-year-old female who presented with a 2-week history of right-sided abdominal pain. CT (computerized tomography) imaging findings demonstrated multiple peripherally enhancing hypoattenuating lesions in the right subphrenic space abutting the hepatic dome, concerning for abscesses. The lesions were found to have a characteristic central hyperattenuating focus (Target Sign) consistent with gallstones, as identified on a pre-cholecystectomy CT, resulting in the early diagnosis and treatment of dropped gallstones from prior laparoscopic cholecystectomy approximately 1 year prior to presentation.

Keywords

• Dropped gallstones
• Laparoscopic cholecystectomy
• Computed Tomography
• Target Sign