Paediatric Gallstones and Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy (Health) (Report‪)‬

1. INTRODUCTION Gallstones in children are rare but can become a potentially serious condition [1]. It does not always present itself in the classical clinical picture of adult gallstones and is not considered as a typical differential diagnosis of abdominal pain [1,2]. Right upper quadrant pain, nausea and vomiting may not always be present and initial diagnosis may be overlooked or delayed. We present our experience as a paediatric surgical team in managing Paediatric gallstones at a District General Hospital in South Wales. In order to assess how common paediatric gallstones are at a typical District general Hospital we re- viewed our patient records was carried at Prince Charles Hospital to identify any paediatric patient (aged 16 years or under) who had undergone a Cholecystectomy. Theatre reports and full case history notes were reviewed and data was extracted accordingly. Correspondence were also reviewed to note the outcome of any subsequent follow up and to identify any other medical problems which may have arisen after the procedure or had an impact on the patient developing gallstones. All 8 patients underwent a laparoscopic Cholecystectomy performed by a single Consultant Paediatric Surgeon (Mr Asal Y Izzidien) at Prince Charles Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil.