Resumen

LAIMEV, PATRICIA et al. Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis: clinical and epidemiological characteristics. Rev Chil Cir [online]. 2007, vol.59, n.2, pp. 122-126. ISSN 0718-4026.  http://dx.doi.org/10.4067/S0718-40262007000200007.

Xanthogranulomatous Cholecystitis (XGC) is a rare inflammatory disease of the gallbladder, variant of Chronic Cholecystitis. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology and clinical data of one series of patients with this diagnosis. Of a total of 1486 cholecystectomies performed between 2004 and 2006, we found 48 cases of XGC (3.23% of total). The most of them were women (67.4%) with an average age of 53.5 years. The clinical history was similar to Chronic Cholecystitis with a variable duration of the symptoms, from 1 week to 10 years. 19% of the patients had antecedents of Obstructive Jaundice, although just one had dilatation of the choledocus at ultrasound. All the patients had Cholelithiasis, the mayor reason for surgery. Four of our cases had findings on ultrasound examination suggestive of carcinoma of gallbladder and at operation in eight patients the appearances of the gallbladder resembled carcinoma to the surgeons. In none of them the diagnosis was confirm and just in one patient was found association between XGC and gallbladder cancer, without previous suspicion. The diagnosis of XGC was never suspected. This is an uncommon entity with difficult diagnosis. The incidence in our study was higher than other reports. Clinically is hard to distinguish from Chronic Cholecystitis, and is often confused with Gall Bladder Carcinoma. As other authors support, both diagnosis can coexist, what occurred in 2.17% of the patients in our series. There was no significant difference in the frequency of Gall Bladder Carcinoma between the patients with CXG and those with another type of chronic Cholecystitis

Palabras llave : Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis; pseudotumors of the gallbladder.