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Case Report
Bouveret’s syndrome as a rare cause of gallstone ileus: A surgical challenge
1 MD, General surgeon, Bariatric surgeon, Division of General Surgery/Laparoscopy, Centro Médico de Especialidades, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
2 MD, General surgeon, Division of General Surgery/Laparoscopy, Centro Médico de Especialidades, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
3 MD, General physician, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
4 MD, General physician, Centro Quirúrgico de Lourdes, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico
5 MD, General physician, Universidad Autónoma de Guadalajara, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico
Address correspondence to:
Danai Hernández Carreón
Vicente Guerrero 8907, Fraccionamiento Las Quintas, CP 32401, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua,
Mexico
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Article ID: 100065S05CA2026
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How to cite this article
Avilez CTP, Cereceres SJR, Jaime CAL, Carreón DH, García AGA, De La Garza ASP. Bouveret’s syndrome as a rare cause of gallstone ileus: A surgical challenge. Edorium J Surg 2026;12(1):1–5.ABSTRACT
Introduction: Bouveret syndrome, a rare cause of gastrointestinal outlet obstruction, was first described by Beassier in 1770. Afterward, this condition was named after Leon Bouveret in 1896. Bouveret syndrome is characterized by the passage of a gallstone through a cholecystogastric or more commonly through a cholecystoduodenal fistula, causing obstruction.
Case Report: A 70-year-old male patient without chronic degenerative diseases and with history of epigastric pain months prior to his current evaluation. Five days before hospital admission, the patient experienced worsening of the epigastric pain with an intensity of 8/10 accompanied by anorexia, vomiting, jaundice, and choluria. Physical examination with evidence of generalized jaundice ++, painful and distended abdomen in the upper right quadrant. Diagnostic protocol was initiated based on preoperative tests, which showed hyperbilirubinemia of 2.78 mg/dL with an obstructive pattern and alteration of liver function tests. The hepatobiliary ultrasound showed a lithiasic sclero-atrophic gallbladder, a common bile duct diameter of 5 mm and positive sonographic murphy sign. The patient was taken to the operating room where, after general anesthesia and in a supine position, a 13 mmHg pneumoperitoneum was created and laparoscopic working ports were introduced. A laparoscopic cholecystectomy + trancystic cholangiography + resection of the cholecystoduodenal fistula were performed.
Conclusion: A high degree of clinical suspicion and imaging studies are required to establish Bouveret syndrome diagnosis, nevertheless in 50% of cases, the diagnosis is made intraoperatively. Early diagnosis and adequate surgical intervention are essential for a favorable prognosis.
Keywords: Cholecystoduodenal fistula, Cholelithiasis, Gallstone ileus, Pneumobilia
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Acknowledgments
We thank the staff of Centro Médico de Especialidades for their constant drive to learn.
Author Contributions:Carlos Tadeo Perzabal Avilez - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Saul Jasam Ruiz Cereceres - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Analysis of data, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Cesar Alberto Lopez Jaime - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Danai Hernández Carreón - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Interpretation of data, Drafting the article, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Aldo Gustavo Acosta García - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Analysis of data, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Ana Sofía Perzabal De La Garza - Substantial contributions to conception and design, Acquisition of data, Analysis of data, Revising it critically for important intellectual content, Final approval of the version to be published
Guaranter of SubmissionThe corresponding author is the guarantor of submission.
Source of SupportNone
Consent StatementWritten informed consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this article.
Data AvailabilityAll relevant data are within the paper and its Supporting Information files.
Conflict of InterestAuthors declare no conflict of interest.
Copyright© 2026 Carlos Tadeo Perzabal Avilez et al. This article is distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium provided the original author(s) and original publisher are properly credited. Please see the copyright policy on the journal website for more information.
