Perforated gangrenous cholecystitis with concurrent Clostridium perfringens bacteraemia masquerading as adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder: A case report

Introduction: Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) is an unusual cause of bacteraemia in the healthy, immunocompetent host. Similarly, acalculous cholecystitis is rare in the absence of critical illness or preceding trauma. We present, to the best of our knowledge, the first documented case of concurrent C. perfringens bacteraemia and acalculous cholecystitis in a previously well human. Case Report: An apparently healthy 56-year-old male was presented with sepsis of unknown origin, and was treated for a respiratory infection and incidentally found to have gallbladder mural thickening on a computed tomography (CT) chest scan. An abdominal ultrasound (USG) demonstrated adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder, without evidence of acute cholecystitis or gallstones. The initial blood sample hemolyzed, however, subsequent specimens showed raised inflammatory markers, neutrophilia and thrombocytopenia. The patient continued to deteriorate clinically and biochemically. At 30 hours from presentation, blood cultures demonstrated a C. perfringens bacteraemia and intravenous antibiotics were commenced. Following these findings and the development of right upper quadrant abdominal pain, biliary sepsis was suspected and the patient taken to theatre. During laparoscopic cholecystectomy, a perforated and gangrenous gallbladder was identified and the intraoperative cholangiogram demonstrated no retained stones. Acute gangrenous cholecystitis was confirmed on histopathology. Postperatively, the patient recovered quickly and was discharged with oral antibiotics. Conclusion: We present a case of acalculous cholecystitis in a patient with an unusual clinical presentation and lack of positive imaging findings. In this setting, the need for definitive surgical intervention and clinical suspicion of cholecystitis was recognized with the finding of C. perfringens bacteraemia despite imaging suggesting adenomyomatosis. This case highlights that acalculous cholecystitis can occur in patients without risk factors, and can be complicated by atypical bacteraemia, even in previously healthy individuals. (This page in not part of the published article.) International Journal of Case Reports and Images, Vol. 8 No. 3, March 2017. ISSN – [0976-3198] Int J Case Rep Images 2017;8(3):179–183. www.ijcasereportsandimages.com Ngu et al. 179 CASE REPORT PEER REVIEWED | OPEN ACCESS Perforated gangrenous cholecystitis with concurrent Clostridium perfringens bacteraemia masquerading as adenomyomatosis of the gallbladder: A case report Natalie LY Ngu, Alexander Olaussen, Jessica Wong, Hayden Snow, Mark Cullinan, Paul J. Sitzler