Secondary psoas abscess after an open cholecystectomy and a common bile duct exploration

BACKGROUND: A psoas abscess presents a diagnostic challenge, due to its rarity, non-specific clinical manifestations and wide range of etiologies. CASE REPORT: We describe a case of a secondary psoas abscess containing Staphylococus aureus following open cholecystectomy and common bile duct exploration in a woman who had no history or evidence of comorbidity. CONCLUSIONS: Two possible causes of this abscess are performance of the Kocher maneuver during the surgical procedure and external contamination. This case adds cholecystectomy and cholecystitis to the list of known causes of psoas abscesses.