Acute cholecystitis in a parastomal hernia causing a small bowel obstruction

A parastomal hernia is the abnormal protrusion of intra-abdominal tissue and organs through a defect in the abdominal wall around an ostomy. Commonly, they involve intra-abdominal fat, omentum or bowel. However, there are rare cases that involve other organs. We present the case of an 89-year-old gentleman with a gallbladder in his parastomal hernia. Due to his acute cholecystitis, the distended gallbladder compressed adjacent bowel loops in the parastomal hernia, resulting in a mechanical bowel obstruction. The patient was treated with antibiotics and a nasogastric tube. As his cholecystitis resolved his ostomy function returned.