ACUTE ACALCULOUS CHOLECYSTITIS IN PATIENTS WITH ACUTE TRAUMATIC SPINAL-CORD INJURY

Acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) is a very serious complication wh ich can be found in patients with multiple serious traumatic lesions ( 'polytrauma'). Very few patients have been reported in the literature with an acute spinal injury and associated AAC. We report seven patien ts with polytrauma and acute spinal cord injury who developed AAC. All had no complaint of the principal warning symptom: right upper quadra nt abdominal pain. All presented with a palpable mass in this site and the laboratory results were compatible with cholestasis. The diagnosi s of AAC was confirmed both by ultrasound and CT scanning. We discuss the possible precipitating factors and the treatment. One hundred and ninety one patients were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit in our Ho spital with SCI over a period of 2 years, all of these in the acute st age. AAC was diagnosed in seven patients among them. Our purpose is to call attention to this clinical condition which can complicate the ou tcome of patients with multiple trauma and acute spinal cord injury. T o date AAC in this group of patients has been infrequently described i n the available literature.