ACUTE ACALCULOUS CHOLECYSTITIS IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS - A CASE-REPORT AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

A 27-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was found to have acute acalculous cholecystitis. At the time of admission, the patient was not under corticosteroid or immunosuppressive therapy. Com puted tomography (CT) and ultrasonography revealed findings in the gal l bladder consistent with acute acalculous cholecystitis. Her abdomina l pain completely disappeared following corticosteroid therapy, with d ramatic improvement in the images of CT and ultrasonography. Six simil ar cases of SLE complicated with acute acalculous cholecystitis have b een reported in the literature and they were all treated surgically by cholecystectomy or cholecystostomy. This is the first case report in which acute acalculous cholecystitis accompanying SLE was treated succ essfully by corticosteroid without surgical intervention.