Gallbladder carcinoma with skeletal metastasis in a Nigerian woman: a case report and review of literature.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

To present a case of skeletal metastasis from a gallbladder malignancy, a rare occurrence.

CASE REPORT

A 75 year old Nigerian woman presented in the surgical outpatient clinic of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital with a two month history of right hypochondrial pain and three weeks swelling on the forehead. Physical examination revealed an ill looking, emaciated elderly woman in mild painful distress. She was pale, afebrile and anicteric. Skull x-ray revealed a well circumscribed soft tissue mass over a lytic bone defect in the frontal region. Abdominal ultrasound scan showed an enlarged gallbladder with a thickened wall and intraluminal echogenic mass, surrounding lymphadenopathy and intrahepatic metastasis. Radiological diagnosis of advanced gallbladder carcinoma with both local and distant metastases was made.

CONCLUSION

Carcinoma of the gallbladder with skeletal metastasis is a rare finding. However, in any patient with gallbladder malignancy distant metastasis with skeletal involvement should be sought.