Necrotizing Gallbladder Torsion Masking as Acalculous Cholecystitis: A Review of Two Cases Treated with Successful Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Abstract

Gallbladder torsion is a rare disease and it is very difficult to diagnose preoperatively because the signs, symptoms, and image findings are very similar to the other cases of acute cholecystitis. However, in cases of gallbladder torsion, conservative treatments such as intravenous antibiotics and percutaneous cholecystostomy could be ineffective and result in even fatal. Hence, for urgent surgical management, gallbladder torsion must be considered especially in the elderly female patients with radiologic findings such as acalculous cholecystitis and a free-floating gallbladder. The author presents two cases of necrotizing gallbladder torsion in an elderly female patient who was treated successfully with laparoscopic cholecystectomy.