Shield of McElmoyle: A forgotten gem

Abstract

Acute cholecystitis with gallbladder stones is one of the common surgical problems world over. Cholecystectomy is required to treat acute cholecystitis with gallbladder stones. Safe cholecystectomy is a must to avoid complications of cholecystectomy. Shield of McElmoyle is a protective barrier as peritoneal covering of lower part of the body of gallbladder, infundibulum, neck and cystic duct. In case of difficult cholecystectomy where Calot’s triangle is having inflammation, fibrosis and dense adhesions causing inability to identify its structures, one should avoid dissecting shield of McElmoyle and do subtotal cholecystectomy instead total cholecystectomy to avoid biliary and vascular injuries.