Introduction:
Gallstone disease has been considered an uncommon entity in children and infants, but its incidence is reportedly increasing which may be attributed to widespread use of diagnostic imaging (ultrasonography).
Presentation of case:
An apparently healthy 2 year old male child presented to our Outpatient department with chief complaint of recurrent abdominal pain. The episodes of pain were acute in onset and associated with vomiting. As per the complete examination and findings, a diagnosis of chronic calculous cholecystitis was made. A four port laparoscopic cholecystectomy was done.
Discussion:
The incidence of gallstones in children in India has not been sufficiently studied. The incidence of gallstone disease in India was found to be 0.3% with the incidence in age group 0-10 being less than 0.1%. In contrast to adult gallstone disease, it has been found that there is no female preponderance in gallstone diseases of infancy. Also, the majority of children having increased haemoglobin turnover develop pigment stones only after 5 years of age.
Conclusion:
The probability of gallstone disease in infants and young children should not be ignored. Gall stones should always be considered as a differential diagnosis when young patients present with complaints of abdominal pain.