Gallbladder perforation following trauma in an 18-month-old child with a common bile duct cyst

Abstract

Gallbladder rupture caused by blunt abdominal trauma is an uncommon injury, particularly in children. This condition occurs even less frequently in children with common bile duct cysts. The history is difficult to obtain, the clinical symptoms are indistinct, and their assessment is obscured by a slew of other lesions. Radiography cannot produce clear images. Thus, the diagnosis is frequently delayed and confirmed only during surgery. Case reports of gallbladder injury after abdominal trauma are relatively rare and there are only 50 case reports in literature for 100 years. Herein, we present the case of an 18-month-old girl who had a ruptured gallbladder funnel due to blunt abdominal trauma caused by domestic violence, with an early clinical presentation of septic shock and chylous effusion. The patient underwent surgery after being diagnosed with chylous ascites that had not responded to medical treatment. Based on the findings, single-stage laparoscopic surgery is confirmed to aid in the diagnosis and treatment of gallbladder injury in the presence of a common bile duct cyst.

Keywords

• Biliary injury
• Chylous ascites
• Gallbladder rupture