Bowel Obstruction Secondary to Gallstone Ileus: A Diagnostic Challenge - Case Report

Abstract

Biliary ileus is an unusual cause of intestinal occlusion in the general population (<5%), secondary to the impaction of a biliary stone in the digestive tract due to the presence of a bilioenteric fistula, a rare complication of cholelithiasis. A 65-year-old woman with intestinal occlusion secondary to biliary ileus, diagnosed by abdominal computed tomography, underwent open enterolithotomy. Post-surgery, the patient's symptoms resolved without complications. The treatment objective for biliary ileus is to relieve the obstruction, typically through enterolithotomy, although there is no definitive standardized surgical technique. This case report includes a brief literature review.