Preoperative Diagnosis and Treatment of Cholecystoduodenal Fistula

The case is about an 87-year-old female. While staying at a facility, she had a fever and abdominal pain and visited our hospital for an up-close examination and treatment. An abdominal CT scan revealed gallstones, gallbladder enlargement, and common bile duct stones. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography was performed to confirm the presence of common bile duct stones, which were extracted. At that time, she was diagnosed with a duodenal fistula of the gallbladder and underwent surgery in our department. The gallbladder and duodenum were firmly adhered, and gallstones were palpated between the gallbladder and duodenum. The gallbladder was incised at the fundus to check the lumen, and gallstones were lodged in the fistula with the duodenum. After the removal of gallstones, the gallbladder was dissected, and a fistula with the duodenum was identified. After treating the cystic duct, the fistula was removed, and the gallbladder was removed. Because the duodenal wall was fragile due to inflammation and the fistula was large and difficult to close simply, the duodenal bulb was separated with a linear stapler, and the stomach and jejunum were reconstructed with a 25-mm CDH using the Roux-en-Y technique. The patient’s postoperative course was good, and she was discharged from the hospital.