Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis complicated with primary sclerosing cholangitis: Report of a case

Patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) are at an increased risk for biliary tract carcinoma. The preoperative diagnosis of a biliary tract tumor as a malignancy is difficult, even using new modalities such as multidetector computed tomography (MD-CT), magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERC), and ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET). Surgery is considered to be first line of treatment when these examinations suggest the presence of malignancy in the biliary tract, depending on both the curability of the cancer and the impaired liver function due to PSC. The management of gallbladder masses in patients with PSC remains problematic due to difficulties with the precise diagnosis and adequate surgery. Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is a type of chronic cholecystitis, and sometimes coexists with gallbladder cancer. It is very difficult to make a preoperative diagnosis differentiating these two diseases. This report presents the case of a patient with XGC, who had been suspected of having gallbladder cancer before surgery, because the tumorous lesion emerged within a year and showed a focally increased uptake by FDG-PET during the follow up for PSC for years. This is the first case of XGC discovered during treatment for PSC.     

黄色肉芽肿性胆囊炎与胆囊结石的关系

目的研究黄色肉芽肿性胆囊炎（XGC）与胆囊结石的关系，探讨胆囊结石在XGC发病中的作用。方法回顾性分析1996年1月至2005年12月33例经病理确诊为XGC的临床资料。结果33例均行B超检查，其中20例行CT检查。全部行手术治疗。术中发现合并胆囊结石32例，单发胆囊结石ll例，多发胆囊结石21例。26例胆囊结石直径≥1．0cm；20例结石位于胆囊颈部，占所有合并胆囊结石病例的62．5％。此外，5例合并胆总管结石，3例合并Mirizzi综合征，无一例合并肝内胆管结石。结论XGC是一种特殊类型的慢性胆囊炎症，伴有黄色肉芽肿形成，重度增生性纤维化，以及泡沫状组织细胞为特征，临床上非常少见，术前诊断困难。需依赖病理检查确诊。几乎所有的XGC均合并胆囊结石。胆囊结石会引起胆汁淤积，使胆汁渗入破损的胆囊壁，从而可能引起XGC的发生。胆囊颈部结石嵌顿很可能在XGC的发病中起着重要作用。     

Acute severe cholecystitis with empyema presenting as a gallbladder mass,jaundice and Mirizzi Syndrome: A case report

IntroductionAcute severe cholecystitis with empyema presenting as a gallbladder mass, jaundice and Mirizzi Syndrome (MS) is a complex surgical problem both diagnostically and in terms of management as it mimics both xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) and gallbladder carcinoma.Presentation of caseA 48-year-old gentleman was referred to us with biliary colic and weight loss with ultrasound findings of gallstones. At subsequent follow-up he became deeply jaundiced with deranged liver function and a CT showing a gallbladder mass and dilated biliary tree. Follow-up MRCP suggested XGC and concomitant MS, but a malignant process could not be excluded. Pre-operative fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) at the time of percutaneous biliary drainage for his jaundice demonstrated XGC with no evidence of malignancy. Given the dense inflammation and a tense empyema at laparoscopy, he underwent a subtotal fenestrating cholecystectomy. The final histopathological diagnosis was acute cholecystitis.DiscussionOur patient likely had unrecognised acute cholecystitis which progressed to a complex mass with empyema and type I Mirizzi Syndrome, ultimately resulting in severe obstructive jaundice mimicking gallbladder carcinoma. Given that a laparoscopic total cholecystectomy is dangerous in these cases of severe inflammation, a laparoscopic subtotal cholecystectomy has been shown to be a safe alternative to more invasive strategies and was successfully utilised in our patient.ConclusionAcute severe cholecystitis with empyema presenting as a gallbladder mass, jaundice and Mirizzi Syndrome is a rare manifestation that requires adequate pre-operative work-up to exclude malignancy. Subtotal fenestrating cholecystectomy is a safe and effective alternative to open surgery in these cases of complex inflammation.     

Clinical and pathologic features of proximal biliary strictures masquerading as hilar cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND: Nontraumatic inflammatory hilar strictures are uncommon, but are known to mimic malignancy. This study examines the clinical and pathologic features of benign idiopathic strictures. STUDY DESIGN: Patients without a history of trauma or earlier biliary operation treated for benign strictures were identified. Clinical information was obtained from the medical record and all resected specimens were reexamined. RESULTS: From January 1992 to July 2003, 275 patients with proximal biliary strictures were referred. Among these, 22 patients had a final histologic diagnosis of benign stricture, despite a suspected preoperative diagnosis of malignancy. All 22 patients underwent resection of the extrahepatic biliary tree, which in 10 patients was combined with en bloc partial hepatectomy. Histologic reexamination identified five different benign processes: lymphoplasmacytic sclerosing pancreatitis and cholangitis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, granulomatous disease, nonspecific fibrosis/inflammation, and stone disease. Major postoperative morbidity occurred in 6 (26%) patients but none died. No preoperative clinical or radiographic features were identified that could reliably distinguish patients with benign strictures from those with cancer. CONCLUSIONS: "Malignant masquerade" of the proximal bile duct results from several different underlying conditions, and differentiating benign strictures from cancer remains problematic. The treatment approach should continue to be resection for presumed malignancy.     

术中冰冻检查在诊断黄色肉芽肿性胆囊炎中的作用

目的探讨术中冰冻切片检查在诊断黄色肉芽肿性胆囊炎(xanthogranu lom atous cholecystitis,XGC)中的作用。方法统计我院10年间确诊XGC的33例病例,其中9例行术中冰冻切片检查。结果9例患者术前均行B超及CT检查,术前诊断为慢性结石性胆囊炎3例,胆囊癌5例,胆囊占位1例。所有患者的术中所见均有胆囊壁明显增厚,胆囊与肝脏胆囊床面、大网膜等周围组织明显粘连。行术中冰冻切片检查后,快速病理回报提示,3例明确诊断XGC,4例为慢性胆囊炎性病变,2例提示胆囊壁蜂窝组织炎样改变。4例行胆囊切除术,4例行部分胆囊切除术,1例行胆囊癌根治术。术后病理均诊断为XGC。结论XGC是一种特殊类型的慢性胆囊炎性病变,在临床上非常少见。胆囊慢性炎症使胆囊壁增厚,并与肝脏或临近组织粘连浸润,影像学上和大体上易误诊为胆囊癌。确诊XGC需依赖病理检查。术中冰冻切片检查可明确病变性质,排除胆囊恶性病变,对手术方式的选择有直接影响,避免了术中盲目扩大切除的可能。     

Clinico-pathological study of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is an uncommon lesion which may form a tumor-like mass in inflamed gallbladders. In a review of 44 cases there were 40 associated with gallstones which had been incarcerated in the neck of the gallbladder, 10 with past histories of abdominal surgeries, 15 with diabetes mellitus, three with carcinomas in the neck of the gallbladder and four with carcinomas in the other organs. Radiologically the differential diagnosis of gallbladder cancer and XGC was difficult in several cases. Thirty five cases of XGC have been diagnosed as chronic cholecystitis and 7 have been mistaken for feature of XGC in the contrast enhancement CT that is, detection of an intramural low density mass with continuously enhanced internal membraneous layer of the gallbladder wall. In view of the clinico-pathological findings of XGC, the lesions appear to result from intramural extravasation of bile and subsequent xanthogranulomatous reaction under obstructive conditions in the neck of the gallbladder. We conclude that XGC is not an uncommon special type of cholecystitis but an accompanied lesion sometimes seen in a kind of cholecystitis.     

New scoring system for differentiating xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis from gall bladder carcinoma: a tertiary care centre experience

Background

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is an uncommon variant of chronic cholecystitis, characterized by a focal or diffuse destructive inflammatory process. The importance of XGC is that it mimics gall bladder carcinoma (GBC) both preoperatively and intra‐operatively, as it can present with pericholecystic infiltration, hepatic involvement and lymphadenopathy. As a result of a misdiagnosis, which is not infrequent, the patient may undergo an unnecessary radical cholecystectomy rather than only a cholecystectomy, which is associated with a greater morbidity and mortality. The main aim of the study is to formulate a simple preoperative scoring system for diagnosis of XGC which might benefit patients by avoiding radical procedures.

Methods

A retrospective study was done from all the patients who underwent gall bladder and gall bladder‐related operations (benign and malignant), during a 5‐year time period from 2010 to 2014 in a tertiary care centre were reviewed (n = 462).

Results

Initial analyses of all the clinical and imaging parameters were done. Patients with a long history of recurrent abdominal pain with leucocytosis and who on imaging are found to have a diffusely thickened gall bladder wall, cholelithiasis, choledocholithiasis and submucosal hypoattenuated nodules are likely to have XGC while those with anorexia, weight loss, focal thickening of the gall bladder wall on imaging and dense local organ infiltration are more likely to have GBC. The presence of lymph nodes on imaging and the loss of a fat plane interface between the liver and gall bladder are not differentiating factors. A scoring system was made by taking statistically significant features (n = 13) of clinical and imaging parameters in initial assessment to identify the features of XGC. The same scoring system was subsequently applied to the patients who underwent cholecystectomy to study the effectiveness and the results were reviewed.

Conclusion

High value scores (≥11/13) helps in diagnosing XGC in preoperative setting. Hence, intra‐operative frozen section analysis can be avoided in such cases to differentiate XGC and GBC. However in difficult cases with high suspicion of malignancy based on clinical experience, definitive diagnosis still remains a histopathological examination to avoid radical resection in patients who have a benign condition.     

A case of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis suspected to be adenocarcinoma based on the intraoperative peritoneal washing cytology

INTRODUCTION

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is a variant of chronic cholecystitis. XGC remains difficult to distinguish from gallbladder cancer radiologically and macroscopically.

PRESENTATION OF CASE

A 63-year-old female was referred to our hospital because of a gallbladder tumor. Abdominal CT and MRI revealed a thickened gallbladder that had an obscure border with the transverse colon. FDG-PET showed a high uptake of FDG in the gallbladder. Therefore, under the preoperative diagnosis of an advanced gallbladder cancer with invasion to the transverse colon, a laparotomy was performed. Because adenocarcinoma was suspected based on the intraoperative peritoneal washing cytology (IPWC), cholecystectomy and partial transverse colectomy were performed instead of radial surgery. However, the case was proven to be XGC with no malignant cells after the operation.

DISCUSSION

In patients with gallbladder cancer who underwent surgery in our institute from 2000 to 2009, the prognosis after the operation of patients with only positive IPWC tended to be better than that of patients with definitive peritoneal disseminated nodules. It is true that in some cases, it is difficult to differentiate XGC from gallbladder carcinoma pre- and intra-operatively.

CONCLUSION

Surgical procedures should be selected based on the facts that there are long-term survivors with gallbladder cancer diagnosed with positive IPWC, and that some patients with XGC are initially diagnosed to have carcinoma by IPWC, as was seen in our case.     

Endoscopic and transhepatic intubation of malignant bile duct strictures for postoperative jaundice

Out of 625 patients referred for stenting for a malignant stricture of the biliary tract, 97 (15.8%) had undergone previous surgery. Resection had been performed in 43 cases, by-pass in 15, surgical stenting in 11, laparotomy in 28. The stricture was located in the porta hepatis in 48 patients (49.5%) in the middle common bile duct (CBD) in 47 (48.5%) and juxtapapillary in 2 (2%). Endoscopic retrograde transhepatic stenting was successful in 51 patients (52.5%). Percutaneous transhepatic stenting was successful in 41 cases out of 46 (85%) and in 5 cases, only external drainage was possible. A 75% reduction in serum bilirubin was observed in 78 patients (81.5%) and normalization was observed in 66 (90%) who survived more than one month. The complication rate was 31.3% in the endoscopic group and 47.7% in the percutaneous transhepatic group, with a mortality related to early complications of 9.8% and 19.6% respectively. The higher complication rate of transhepatic stenting is at least partially related to an unfavourable selection of patients in this group: failures of endoscopic stenting, high frequency of hilar strictures. The mortality at D 30 was 24%, significantly higher in hilar strictures than in middle CBD strictures (p less than 0.02). A late obstruction of the stent occurred in 43 patients (58%) after an interval of 103 +/- 52 days, and endoscopic retreatment was possible in 65% of cases. The median survival was 153 days in subhilar strictures and 104 days in hilar strictures. These results justify considering the possibility of palliative stenting after failure of a surgical treatment especially in peri-ampullary and middle CBD strictures.     

Extensive hilar bile duct resection using a transhepatic approach for patients with hepatic hilar bile duct diseases

BACKGROUND: Extensive hilar bile duct resection beyond the second- or third-order intrahepatic biliary radicals is usually required for patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma as well as those with benign inflammatory stricture. Most hilar cholangiocarcinoma is resected with combined major hepatectomy to obtain free surgical margins. The purpose of this study was to show the surgical procedure and the usefulness of extensive hilar bile duct resection using a transhepatic approach for patients with hilar bile duct diseases. METHODS: Five patients with hepatic hilar bile duct disease and who were unfit for major hepatectomy for several reasons underwent extensive hilar bile duct resection by way of a transhepatic approach. Four of the patients had hilar bile duct cancer, including 1 with mucous-producing bile duct cancer of low-grade malignancy and 1 with a postsurgical benign bile duct stricture. RESULTS: After extensive hilar bile duct resection, bile duct stumps ranged in number from 3 to 7 mm (mean 4.4). Surgical margins at bile duct stump were free of cancer in all 4 cancer patients. The long-term outcomes were as follows: 3 patients are alive at the time of publication, and 2 patients have died. CONCLUSIONS: A transhepatic approach may be useful when performing extensive hilar bile duct resection bile duct stricture of biliary disease at the hepatic hilus, especially in high-risk patients who are unfit for major hepatectomy as well as in those having benign bile duct stricture and low-grade malignancy.     

黄色肉芽肿性胆囊炎的诊治分析

目的 本研究着重于探讨黄色肉芽肿性胆囊炎的诊断和治疗.方法 对本院2004年6月至2012年7月病理确诊为XGC的19例患者资料进行回顾性分析.结果 术前3例诊断为XGC,2例术前误诊为胆囊癌.5例行开腹手术,14例行经腹腔镜胆囊切除术（中转开腹4例）,腹腔镜与开腹手术组平均手术时间分别为87.3min及102.7min,但未有统计学意义（P＞0.05）.腹腔镜与开腹手术组术后平均住院天数分别为5.2天及9.4天,有显著差异（P=0.006）.结论 GC临床表现不典型,往往是难以术前诊断.病理检查是XGC诊断的关键,胆囊切除术是主要的治疗方法.     

Improvement of Intraoperative Frozen Section Diagnosis in Patients with Biliary Strictures by Levovist Injection into the Bile Duct on Color Doppler Ultrasonography

Background This study evaluates the efficiency of color Doppler ultrasonography-guided intraoperative pancreatic biopsy (CDUS-IPB) using Levovist injected into the bile duct in conjunction with stimulated acoustic emission (SAE) in patients with biliary strictures. Methods The study was performed on 12 patients. After completing a conventional intraoperative pancreatic biopsy (c-IPB), each subject underwent CDUS with SAE imaging using Levovist. Upon identification of the biliary stricture, the IPB was taken from the area surrounding the stricture on the same imaging setting. Section diagnosis of the CDUS-IPB specimen was compared to that of the c-IPB specimen and resected tissue. Results Biliary strictures were identified as enhanced areas of color Doppler signal on CDUS. CDUS-IPB provided adequate specimens from the biliary strictures in all cases and corrected false-negative diagnoses by c-IPB in three cases. Section diagnosis by CDUS-IPB corresponded to the permanent section diagnosis. There were no complications. Conclusions CDUS-IPB with Levovist is an accurate diagnostic tool. The method is especially useful for patients with a suspected malignant biliary stricture who show no tumor mass in preoperative images and no evidence of malignancy on cytologic examinations.     

Unusual causes of benign biliary strictures with cholangiographic features of cholangiocarcinoma

Focal strictures occurring at the hepatic duct confluence, or within the common hepatic duct or common bile duct in patients without a history of prior surgery in that region or stone disease, are usually thought to represent cholangiocarcinoma until proved otherwise. However, not uncommonly, patients undergo surgical exploration for a preoperative diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma, based on the cholangiographic appearance of the lesion, only to find histologically that the stricture was benign in nature. Despite sophisticated radiographic, endoscopic, and histologic studies, it is often impossible before laparotomy to distinguish malignant from benign strictures when they have the characteristic radiographic appearance of cholangiocarcinoma. Even at the risk of overtreating some benign cases, most agree that aggressive surgical resection is the treatment of choice, given the serious consequences resulting from a failure to diagnose and adequately treat cholangiocarcinoma. Four patients who presented to our institution between February 1991 and June 2000 underwent laparotomy for a preoperative diagnosis of biliary tract malignancy based on clinical presentation and cholangiographic findings. The final pathology report in all patients showed marked fibrosis and inflammation of the biliary duct without evidence of malignancy. A review of the patient data and the relevant literature identified benign causes of focal extrahepatic biliary strictures associated with concomitant disease processes in two of the four patients. We present these cases and discuss the benign etiologies with emphasis on the role of surgery in both diagnosis and treatment.     

Surgical procedures and histopathologic findings for patients with xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis

BACKGROUND: Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is an unusual and destructive inflammatory process of the gallbladder. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC) may be contraindicated in XGC because of a high incidence of complications and coexistent malignancy. In this study, we examined the management of LC in patients with XGC. STUDY DESIGN: LC was attempted on 1,408 consecutive patients, including 27 (1.9%) patients with histopathologically diagnosed XGC. All patients underwent preoperative spiral computed tomography after IV infusion cholangiography and intraoperative cholangiography. We examined the correlation between the inflammatory grade of XGC and the difficulty of LC. RESULTS: LC was completed in 22 (81%) of the 27 patients diagnosed with XGC. Two patients with common bile duct injuries (partial lacerations) were confirmed by laparoscopic cholangiography, and injuries were simply closed using a laparoscopic technique. An intraoperative frozen-section examination revealed gallbladder carcinomas in two patients, and additional hepatectomies were performed in these patients after LC. Five patients (19%) with XGC required open operation. All of the laparoscopic failures were attributable to dense fibrotic adhesions in Calot's triangle and in the surrounding tissues. Histopathologically, nine patients had a xanthogranuloma with severe fibrotic reaction in the gallbladder wall, and four of these patients were treated by open operation. CONCLUSIONS: Although XGC has a relatively high conversion rate to open cholecystectomy, we conclude that patients with XGC should be considered for LC after an adequate patient selection, a clear visualization of anatomic structures and landmarks, and an intraoperative frozen-section examination.     

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??Differential diagnosis and management strategies of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis and gallbladder carcinoma WANG Guang-yi, SUN Xiao-dong, QIU Wei.Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, the First Bethune Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
Corresponding author: WANG Guang-yi, E-mail??wgymd@
sina.com
Abstract Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is a rare type of cholecystitis, and the etiopathogenesis of XGC is not fully understood. It is difficult to differentiate XGC from gallbladder carcinoma by symptoms, physical examination, laboratory tests, and radiographic findings because of uneven thickening gallbladder wall and severe adhesions with surrounding organs, especially in some cases associated with gallbladder carcinoma. Preoperative and intraoperative diagnosis rate is poor. Preoperative and intraoperative fine needle aspiration cytology and frozen pathology is important to the intraoperative surgical management. Because of a high conversion rate (laparoscopic to open cholecystectomy) and incidence of complications with laparoscopic cholecystectomy, open surgery is suggested. The appropriate surgical procedures should be performed according to intraoperative frozen pathology results.     

Mirizzi syndrome caused by xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis: Report of a case

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is a rare inflammatory disease of the gallbladder. In severe cases, inflammation extends to adjacent structures, and XGC is sometimes confused with a malignant neoplasm. We recently diagnosed XGC as the preoperative cause of Mirizzi syndrome in a patient based on the clinical course. The patient was admitted because of obstructive jaundice, with gallbladder carcinoma as the suspected cause. The gallbladder was swollen with gallstones and the serum level of carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) was 3070 U/ml at admission. A percutaneous transhepatic cholangiodrainage (PTCD) was done, and the common hepatic duct as well as the right and left hepatic ducts were found to be obstructed. Later, the CA19-9 level and swelling of the gallbladder decreased and the obstruction of the bile ducts disappeared. A cholecystectomy was performed and the intraoperative pathohistological diagnosis of chronic cholecystitis was made from frozen sections. The pathohistological diagnosis of XGC was made from paraffin-embedded sections. Mirizzi syndrome such as that seen in our patient is a rare complication of XGC. XGC occassionally causes extensive inflammation; thus, performing a conventional cholecystectomy can be unsafe. However, in our opinion, a total, not subtotal, cholecystectomy should be done whenever possible because the incidence of gallbladder carcinoma accompanied with XGC is higher than that with ordinary cholecystitis or gallstones.     

黄色肉芽肿性胆囊炎与胆囊癌的鉴别诊断及术中决策

黄色肉芽肿性胆囊炎是一种少见类型的胆囊炎,发病机制尚未完全清楚。因其胆囊壁弥漫性不均匀增厚及向周围器官浸润等特点而与胆囊癌难以鉴别,其病史体征、肿瘤标记物及影像学特点均不典型,加之部分病例合并有胆囊癌,术前难以做出确定性诊断。术前和术中细针穿刺冰冻病理学检查的诊断率相对较高,对手术方式选择有重要参考意义。因腹腔镜胆囊切除术的术中中转开腹率及并发症发生率很高,故临床多选择开腹胆囊切除术,依术中所见及冰冻病理学检查结果选择恰当的术式。     

黄色肉芽肿性胆囊炎的诊疗特点

目的探讨黄色肉芽肿性胆囊炎(xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis,XGC)的诊断与手术治疗特点。方法回顾性分析13例经病理确诊的XGC病人的临床资料。术前B超检查13例,CT检查5例,MRI检查3例,ERCP检查1例,术前均误诊。结果11例行术中冰冻切片病理检查,确诊9例。9例行胆囊切除术,1例行胆囊切除加胆总管探查T管引流术,1例行胆囊大部切除加十二指肠瘘修补术,2例行胆囊切除加胆囊床部肝组织切除。均治愈,无死亡病例。结论XGC是一种少见的特殊类型的慢性胆囊炎,术前诊断困难,确诊依赖病理检查,开腹胆囊切除是基本手术方式。     

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis in laparoscopic surgery

Xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis (XGC) is one presentation of cholecystitis and can be a cause of difficulty in cholecystectomy. We reviewed the clinical files of 12,426 patients who had undergone cholecystectomy. In this group, there were 182 cases of XGC, and 41 of these patients had undergone laparoscopic surgery. Patients with XGC represented 1.46% of the cholecystectomies that were performed. Of the 41 patients whounderwent laparoscopic surgery, 27 weremen (66%) and 14 were women (34%) (average age, 52 years). A total of 36 patients (88%) presented with a chronic condition. XGC was found to be associated with lithiasis in 85%, with jaundice in 22%, and with cancer in 2.4% (one patient). A total of 33 patients (80%) required conversion to open surgery, because of technical difficulties; of these patients, 64% underwent partial cholecystectomy. We conclude that XGC creates difficulty at laparoscopy and therefore any preoperative suspicion of XGC should cause the clinician to consider open cholecystectomy.     

Xanthogranulomatous Cholecystitis with a Liver Abscess and Metastatic Endophthalmitis: Report of a Case

There have been no reported cases of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis with a liver abscess and metastatic endophthalmitis in the literature. There has been only one other case of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis associated with a liver abscess in Japan prior to the present report. A 53-year-old man was admitted to a local hospital complaining of high fever. Abdominal ultrasonography and computed tomography showed a liver abscess. After percutaneous transhepatic abscess drainage, he complained of an abnormal sensation in his left eyeball and was diagnosed to have endophthalmitis. After being treated for the endophthalmitis, he was referred to our hospital to have the liver abscess evaluated. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography showed a normal biliary system without any communication with the liver abscess. Two weeks after endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography he complained of right hypochondralgia. Ultrasonography revealed the presence of sludge in the swollen gallbladder. Under a diagnosis of cholecystitis with a liver abscess, a cholecystectomy was performed. A histological examination indicated xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis based on the findings of a granulomatous lesion consisting of foamy cells in the gallbladder wall. We herein present the first known case of xanthogranulomatous cholecystitis with a liver abscess and metastatic endophthalmitis, while also making a review of the literature. Received: December 21, 2000 / Accepted: September 11, 2001