Gallstone ileus, an uncommon cause of bowel obstruction

Gallstone ileus is a rare complication of cholelithiasis. It is characterized by bowel obstruction secondary to gallstone impaction at some point of the gastrointestinal tract due to the existence of a bilioenteric fistula. The aim of this analysis was to evaluate our experience through a retrospective study, covering a 12-year period. It included 14 cases (10 women and 4 men) with a median age of 81 years; 11 of the patients had comorbidities. The main analytic alteration was an increase in urea (median 79mg/dl). Diagnosis was confirmed through abdominal computed tomography in 10 cases and plain abdominal x-ray in 4. The stone was located in the jejunum in 6 cases, the ileum in 6, and the sigmoid colon in one; the mean stone size was 3cm. There were 11 cases of cholecystoduodenal fistula, one case of cholecystocolonic fistula, and one idiopathic fistula. Two patients died, including the patient that did not undergo surgery.