Abdominal wall abscess secondary to post-cholecystectomy clip migration: A case report

Abdominal wall abscess secondary to post-cholecystectomy clip migration: A case report

Sophia Smith, MD ^1,2, Daniel C. Wiener, MD, FACS^1,3, Gentian Kristo, MD, MPH, FACS^1,3

¹Department of Surgery, Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA; ²Department of Surgery, Boston Medical Center, Boston University Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; 3Department of Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Background: The migration of surgical clips after laparoscopic cholecystectomy is rare and can lead to complications such as clip-related biliary stones and intra-abdominal abscesses. In this article, we report a case of a retained dropped metal clip after a laparoscopic cholecystectomy resulting in an abscess that necessitated through the right abdominal wall and into the subcutaneous tissues 13 months later.

Summary: Our patient is a 79-year-old male, with multiple comorbidities who underwent a laparoscopic cholecystectomy for acute cholecystitis. The cystic duct and artery were divided in-between 10-mm metallic clips. After 13 months, patient presented with a perihepatic abscess and a retained metallic clip necessitating through the right abdominal wall into the subcutaneous tissues. Patient was taken to the operating room and underwent an incision and drainage of the right abdominal wall abscess and retrieval of the migrating cholecystectomy clip.

Conclusion: To avoid complications related to dropped cholecystectomy clips, it is important to use the correct technique for applying clips and attempt to retrieve any noticeably dropped clips intraoperatively.

Keywords: retained clip; clip migration; laparoscopic cholecystectomy; intra-abdominal abscess

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How to cite this article:

Sophia Smith, Daniel C. Wiener, Gentian Kristo. Abdominal wall abscess secondary to post-cholecystectomy clip migration: A case report. International Journal of Case Reports, 2023, 7:295. DOI: 10.28933/ijcr-2023-04-2305ss

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