title: [Porcelain gallbladder: a clinical case and a review of the literature].
abstract: Porcelain bladder is defined as calcification of the gallbladder wall. It is a rare condition and is seen in 0.06% to 0.8% of cholecystectomies. It origin is still unknown. We report two cases of patients with a porcelain gallbladder. One case is a 60 year-old male patient who was seen due to having biliary symptoms. The diagnosis was made by ultrasound and computed tomography, and he was surgically intervened by performing a partial cholecystectomy. The histopathology reported a gallbladder wall with sclerohyalinosis and dystrophic calcification foci. The other case is a 98 year-old female patient, whose form of presentation was incidental given that she suffered from symptoms of an intestinal obstruction. A cholecystectomy was performed with a good post-surgical outcome. A series published in between 1950 and 1960 show that the porcelain bladder can be frequently observed in patients with cancer of the gallbladder, although this relationship is currently being rejected. The reason why these cases are being presented is because of their low incidence and the controversy over what treatment to use, due to its association with gallbladder cancer.
authors.affiliation: Servicio de Cirugía Digestiva y Percutánea, Hospital Nacional Profesor Alejandro Posadas, Haedo, Buenos Aires, Argentina. palermomd@msn.com
authors.forename: Mariano
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Palermo
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Núñez
authors.forename: Guillermo E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Duza
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giménez Dixon
authors.forename: Miguel O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Tarsitano
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005705:Gallbladder Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged