Rupture of the gallbladder after blunt abdominal trauma.

The diagnosis of traumatic injury of the gallbladder may only be discovered at the time of celiotomy. The patient initially may be asymptomatic; later, he may develop nausea, vomiting, or paralytic ileus. Hemoconcentration, leukocytosis, and biliurea all have been observed, but are inconstant findings. However, increasing abdominal distention without a change in hematocrit value, jaundice, dark urine, or acholic stools accompanied by a rising bilirubin level should aid in diagnosis. Although the treatment of traumatic rupture of the gallbladder may be altered to fit the clinical situation and degree of anatomic disruption, most authors agree that cholecystectomy is the method of choice.