Acute emphysematous cholecystitis. An entity to be taken into account in the differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain.

Resumen

Acute emphysematous cholecystitis is a rare entity characterised by the presence of gas in the gallbladder wall and/or lumen. Its morbidity and mortality is very significant due to its rapidly progressive course towards sepsis, shock and even exitus if an emergency cholecystectomy is not performed. As the initial clinical presentation is not specific and may be similar to that of acute cholecystitis, it is crucial to have a high index of suspicion.

We present the case of a patient who was admitted for acute abdominal pain and required three urgent imaging tests in a brief period of time to achieve a diagnosis of acute emphysematous cholecystitis.

Keywords: emphysematous cholecystitis, acute cholecystitis, acute abdominal pain.