An unusual finding of obstructive jaundice—a case report and review of the literature

Biliary ascariasis is a tropical infectious disease, endemic in regions such as the Far East, Indian subcontinent and parts of the Middle East. The responsible organism is the Ascaris lumbricoides worm. This case study presents a 54-year-old British Caucasian female patient, admitted with a 1-week history of generalized abdominal pain. Ultrasound scan of the abdomen showed a collapsed and abnormal image of the gallbladder. Further imaging for better visualization by magnetic resonance cholangiography showed a 6 cm linear structure in the gallbladder. The morphology was characteristic of gallbladder ascariasis. Detailed history revealed that 6 months ago she had travelled to Turkey. Stool cultures confirmed the presence of ascaris eggs. She was treated conservatively with a 500 mg stat dose of Mebendazole. She was followed up in 6 weeks showing complete resolution of her symptoms.