Choledochal Cyst Mimicking Gallbladder with Stones in a Six-Year-Old with Right-sided Abdominal Pain

West J Emerg Med. 2015 Jul;16(4):568-71. doi: 10.5811/westjem.2015.4.25407. Epub 2015 Jun 22.

Abstract

Choledochal cysts are rare but serious bile duct abnormalities are found in young children, usually during the first year of life.1 They require urgent surgical intervention due to the risk of developing cholangiocarcinoma.2 Clinicians should consider this diagnosis and perform a point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) when a child presents to the emergency department (ED) with findings of jaundice, abdominal pain, and the presence of an abdominal mass. We present the case of a six-year-old child presenting only with abdominal pain upon arrival to our ED and was ultimately diagnosed by POCUS to have a choledochal cyst.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Abdominal Pain / etiology*
  • Child
  • Choledochal Cyst / diagnosis*
  • Choledochal Cyst / diagnostic imaging
  • Choledochal Cyst / surgery*
  • Female
  • Gallbladder / diagnostic imaging*
  • Humans
  • Jaundice / etiology
  • Point-of-Care Testing
  • Ultrasonography