Much has been published on cholecystitis in childhood from Europe and North America but reports from tropical Africa are few. This is a report of seven children with cholecystitis seen over a 10-year period in Zaria, northern Nigeria. Six of the children had acalculous cholecystitis but a predisposing condition (adenomatous hyperplasia) was identifiable in only one. Five presented with complications (perforation, three; gangrene, one; empyema, one). One child without haemolytic disease had calculous cholecystitis and choledocholithiasis. Pre-operative diagnosis of cholecystitis was made in only three cases. Cholecystectomy, two as interval procedures, was safely performed in all patients. In environments such as ours, where cholecystitis in childhood is uncommon, awareness and a high index of suspicion are necessary for early diagnosis and prompt treatment in order to avoid potentially life-threatening complications.
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