Management of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm With Concomitant Acute Cholecystitis in the Era of Endovascular Surgery

The incidence of symptomatic acute cholecystitis with large (greater than 5.5 cm) abdominal aortic aneurysm is an uncommon occurrence. Guidelines on concomitant repair in this setting remain elusive, particularly in the era of endovascular repair. We present a case of acute cholecystitis in a 79-year-old female presenting to a local rural emergency room with abdominal pain and known abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). Abdominal computed tomography (CT) revealed a 5.5 cm infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm, significantly greater in size compared to previous imaging, as well as a distended gallbladder with mild wall thickening and cholelithiasis concerning for acute cholecystitis. The two conditions were found to be unrelated to each other, but concerns were raised on appropriate timing of care. Following diagnosis, the patient underwent concomitant treatment of acute cholecystitis and large abdominal aortic aneurysm with laparoscopic and endovascular techniques, respectively. In this report, we take the opportunity to discuss the treatment of patients with AAA and concomitant symptomatic acute cholecystitis.