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Complications
By Mayo Clinic staffCholecystitis can lead to a number of serious complications, including:
- Enlarged gallbladder. If your gallbladder becomes inflamed due to bile buildup, it may stretch and swell beyond its normal size, which can cause pain and increase the risk of a tear (perforation) in your gallbladder, as well as infection and tissue death.
- Infection within the gallbladder. If bile builds up within your gallbladder, causing cholecystitis, the bile may become infected.
- Death of gallbladder tissue. Untreated cholecystitis can cause tissue in the gallbladder to die (gangrene), which in turn can lead to a tear in the gallbladder, or it may cause your gallbladder to burst.
- Torn gallbladder. A tear (perforation) in your gallbladder may be caused by an enlarged or infected gallbladder that occurs as a result of cholecystitis.
References
- Cholecystitis. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2012: Instant Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..C2009-0-38600-6--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05610-6&about=true&uniqId=230100505-53. Accessed July 22, 2011.
- Wang DQH, et al. Gallstone disease. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger & Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, Management. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6189-2..X0001-7--TOP&isbn=978-1-4160-6189-2&about=true&uniqId=229935664-2192. Accessed July 22, 2011.
- Guss DA, et al. Disorders of the liver and biliary tract. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..X0001-1--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&uniqId=230019911-17. Accessed July 22, 2011.
- Gallstones. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/gallstones/index.aspx. Accessed July 22, 2011.
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