Porcelain gallbladder in a 4-year-old male: A case report

Introduction

Porcelain gallbladder (PGB) is a gallbladder with calcium encrusted on its inner wall. PGB is rare in the pediatric population with only four cases reported in the literature. We present a patient who is the youngest reported case of porcelain gallbladder.

Case presentation

A 4-year-old full-term male with a history of chronic constipation presented with abdominal pain prompting a plain abdominal X-ray which revealed an incidental calcified gallbladder. This was confirmed with an abdominal ultrasound (US) and computed tomography (CT) that identified calcifications in the gallbladder wall. An elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed, given the reported association of PGB with gallbladder cancer. Final pathology confirmed calcification of the gallbladder, along with evidence of cholelithiasis, and cholecystitis, but no dysplasia or malignancy. The patient was discharged on post-operative day 2 without any complications.

Conclusion

A PGB is a rare finding in the pediatric population, with prior studies indicating an association with malignancy and cholecystitis in the adult population. However, there is not enough data to support the association of PGB with future pathologies in the pediatric population and surgical intervention may not be warranted.