Objective: Acute cholecystitis (AC) after acute cerebral infarction is rare and has not been fully investigated. Because patients with acute cerebral infarction often cannot complain of abdominal pain due to loss of consciousness, hemiparesis and aphasia, delays in diagnosis may increase the severity of the condition. It is clearly important to identify symptoms, reach a diagnosis and provide treatment as soon as possible. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical features of AC after acute cerebral infarction.
Methods: Among the 1,682 patients with acute cerebral infarction admitted to our hospital between April 2007 and July 2012, AC after acute cerebral infarction was diagnosed in 24 (1.4%). Data regarding age, sex, past history, fasting period, period from admission to the onset of cholecystitis, clinical type, severity of cholecystitis, diffusion-weighted imaging Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score at onset and modified Rankin scale at 90 days were investigated.
Results: The mean age of the 24 patients (15 men, 9 women) was 74.2±11.9 years (range, 45-90 years). The clinical type was atherothrombosis in five patients, lacunar infarction in seven patients, cardiac embolism in 10 patients and dissection in two patients. The past history included atrial fibrillation in 10 (42%) patients, hypertension in 20 (83%) patients and diabetes in 11 (46%) patients. The mean duration of fasting was 10.7 days (range, 1-32 days). The mean interval between the onset of cholecystitis and admission was 8.3 days (range, 0-24 days). The median NIHSS score at onset of cerebral infarction was 10, and 23 (96%) patients were bedridden at the onset of cholecystitis.
Conclusion: AC after acute cerebral infarction was frequently observed in the patients with severe hemiparesis and those who were fasted. It is important to identify symptoms, accurately diagnose the condition and provide treatment as soon as possible in order to achieve early ambulation and resumption of food intake using a feeding tube.