A galling disease? Dieulafoy's lesion of the gallbladder

Introduction: Dieulafoy's lesion is a rare vascular anomaly characterized by an abnormally large and tortuous submucosal arteriole leading to an area of mucosal defect with minimal inflammation. It is most often seen in the stomach but could occur anywhere along the gastrointestinal tract. Only five cases of gallbladder Dieulafoy's lesion have been published so far.

Presentation of case: We report a case of Dieulafoy's lesion in the gallbladder in a 44 year-old patient who presented with calculous cholecystitis.

Discussion: The clinical, radiologic and histologic findings are discussed in light of the existing literature on Dieulafoy's lesions of the gallbladder.

Conclusion: Gallbladder Dieulafoy's lesion has potentially serious complications and emergency surgery is often required. Due to the rarity of the entity, the diagnosis is often not considered.