Non-calculous distension of the gall-bladder in childhood.

Gall-bladder disease is uncommon in childhood. In 1928 Potter collected reports of 226 cases of biliary disease in young subjects and a further 206 cases in the next decade (Potter, 1938). Ulin, Nosal, and Martin (1952) found another 43 cases reported between 1938-1948, but of the 475 cases so described he could accept only 326 as being authentic. Of the 30 cases of authentic gall-bladder disease reviewed by Ulin et al., only one was of acute non-calculous distension, namely that by Narat (1940). Two similar cases had been previously reported in 1933 by F6vre and we have found another 18 recorded cases. The salient features of all these are tabulated (Table). We here add 5 further cases to the 21 previously reported.