Fatal Event of the Gallbladder Rupture Following the Blunt Abdominal Trauma: A Case Report

Abstract

The gallbladder traumatic injury rarely happens due to its anatomical location and includes 2%-5% of trauma cases. The diagnoses of isolated gallbladder rupture in the blunt abdominal trauma are usually delayed and mostly revealed during the surgeries. To diagnose gallbladder injuries, the probability of injury in an organ such as gallbladder in the blunt abdominal trauma should be considered and accordingly the detailed diagnostic method should be used. A 85-year-old female was referred to the hospital due to facial and abdominal trauma. There was a mild tenderness in the right upper quadrant (RUQ) area. The hydrops gallbladder was observed in the focused assessment with sonography. The patient was assessed by abdominal ultrasonography after 48 hours and reports liver extensive rupture and sub-capsular hematoma. The patient was assessed by abdominal ultrasonography after 48 hours and reports liver extensive rupture and sub-capsular hematoma. The following day, the patient had severe bradycardia and finally dead due to asystole and cardiac arrest. In autopsy, the gallbladder rupture caused the green purulent bile discharge released over the abdomen. The current paper reports a case on isolated gallbladder injury following the blunt abdominal trauma which was not diagnosed in post-traumatic evaluations and was revealed by autopsy after patient’s death. The best method to diagnose gallbladder injuries is the computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen.