Atraumatic spontaneous hemorrhagic cholecystitis

Abstract

Hemorrhagic cholecystitis is a rare subtype of acute cholecystitis. It is considered a medical emergency, with a morbidity rate of 32% to 58% and a mortality rate of 15% to 20%. It presents with an acute onset of intense abdominal or back pain that can be mistaken for other conditions such as thoracic aortic dissection. Diagnosis hinges on a high index of suspicion and confirmatory studies, such as computed tomography scan or ultrasound. Specific risk factors identified in the literature include a history of trauma and anticoagulant use. We present an atypical case of spontaneous hemorrhagic cholecystitis with no antecedent risk factors.

Keywords:

• Case report
• cholecystitis
• hemorrhagic cholecystitis

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