Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-13-2021

Abstract

BACKGROUND Infectious mononucleosis secondary to Epstein-Barr Virus is a common infection in young adults. Infection usually involves a self-limiting course of fevers, sore throat, malaise, and myalgias. Transaminitis is a relatively common complication; clinical jaundice, however, is rare. This case report highlights an uncommon complication of Epstein-Barr Virus infection in which hepatocellular injury led to clinical jaundice as well as radiologic evidence of gallbladder pathology mimicking acute calculous cholecystitis. CASE REPORT A 17-year-old girl with no prior medical history presented to our Emergency Department 1 week after being diagnosed with infectious mononucleosis. She was hemodynamically stable and her physical exam was notable for scleral icterus with right upper quadrant tenderness and positive Murphy's sign. Multiple imaging modalities performed showed gallbladder wall thickening without common bile duct dilatation. A hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) scan showed evidence of hepatocyte dysfunction with normal gallbladder filling. The imaging results obtained in conjunction with her laboratory testing and active infectious mononucleosis infection confirmed the patient's presentation was a result of her Epstein-Barr virus infection and did not require surgical intervention for cholecystectomy. CONCLUSIONS This case report highlights a rare complication of Epstein-Barr Virus infection and demonstrates the utility of interpreting hepatic function testing in conjunction with relevant imaging modalities in cases of clinical jaundice. By doing so, we were able to conclude the patient's gallbladder pathology was related to acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC) and did not warrant surgical intervention. The patient was given supportive care measures and made a full recovery.

Publication Title

Am J Case Rep

Volume

22

First Page

932285

Last Page

932285

Comments

Copyrights. American Journal of Case Reports has adopted the Open Access publishing model. All articles are published under Creative Common Attribution-Noncommercial-No derivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), allowing others to download articles and share them only if they credit the authors and the publisher, but without permission to change them in any way or use them commercially.

Download

Share

COinS