The Fate of Gallstones "Dropped" during Laparoscopy
Menashe Barzilai, Arie Bitterman, Dorit Schlag-Eisenberg, Nathan Peled
Depts. of Radiology and Surgery B, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is considered the procedure of choice for removing symptomatic, stone-containing gallbladders. It is estimated that in 30-40% of these operations stone(s) spill into the peritoneal cavity. It was assumed that these "dropped stones" are harmless and are dissolved and absorbed spontaneously. We present a 70-year-old woman in whom such a stone, dropped during laparoscopy, led to formation of an intraperitoneal abscess.