Incidental diagnosis of asymptomatic neonatal cholelithiasis: case report and literature review
Morad, Y.; Ziv, N.; Merlob, P.
Journal of Perinatology Official Journal of the California Perinatal Association 15(4): 314-317
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0743-8346 PMID: 8558341 Document Number: 447465
A case of asymptomatic cholelithiasis detected incidentally at the age of 3 days in an otherwise healthy newborn infant is presented. The hospitalization was uneventful. At follow-up the biliary stones had completely resolved at the age of 3 months with no symptoms. Fourteen similar cases of incidentally diagnosed neonatal cholelithiasis were found in the literature. Clinical course was benign; 12 cases (86%) were asymptomatic and eight (57%) had spontaneous resolution by the age of 6 months. We conclude that incidentally diagnosed neonatal cholelithiasis usually has a benign course with about a 50% chance of spontaneous resolution during the first 6 months of life. In cases of persistent gallstones by age 6 months, no treatment is needed except for long-term follow-up.