title: Acute acalculous cholecystitis after gastrointestinal surgery.
abstract: Acute acalculous cholecystitis has been identified as a rare but potentially devastating entity after trauma, and burns, as well as in critically ill patients, and in the postoperative period. Gastrointestinal surgery is most frequently implicated in postoperative acute acalculous cholecystitis,  especially after gastric and colorectal procedures. Review of the English literature identified 28 articles reporting 76 cases of acute acalculous cholecystitis after gastrointestinal operations, which included a case from Tulane University Medical Center of a 64-year-old man who developed  postoperative acute acalculous cholecystitis after elective left hemicolectomy. A total of 52.4 per cent of the patients developed gangrenous acute acalculous cholecystitis, with a mortality rate of 21.1 per cent, much higher than that reported in postoperative calculous cholecystitis. This  emphasizes the need for a high level of suspicion and early detection in the postoperative period to avoid devastating consequences.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
authors.forename: Lya
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Crichlow
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Walcott-Sapp
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Major
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jaffe
authors.forename: Charles F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Bellows
mesh_terms: D042101:Acalculous Cholecystitis / Q000209:etiology*; D041881:Cholecystitis, Acute / Q000209:etiology*; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012307:Risk Factors