Abstract

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) has gained wide acceptance as a valuable tool for the diagnosis and management of disease of the pancreas and biliary tract. Complications associated with ERCP include bleeding, perforation, pancreatitis, and cholangitis, and the incidence is about 5∼10%. Acute acalculous cholecystitis can be developed rarely after ERCP. It tends to have more complicated course, resulting in higher morbidity and mortality. We report a case of acute acalculous cholecystitis complicating therapeutic ERCP in a 52-year-old man with primary common bile duct stone. He underwent open cholecystectomy because of uncontrolled infection and rapid progression to septic shock. Although acute acalculous cholecystitis is one of rare complications developed after ERCP, it should be considered as one of the differential diagnosis in patients who complain of abdominal pain after ERCP because of high mortality rate and the need for prompt surgical management. (Korean J Gastrointest Endosc 2005;31:62⁣67)

• Keywords: Acute cholecystitis, Acalculous cholecystitis, Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, Complication