Patients with thrombophilic disorder while undergoing intra-abdominal surgery may develop splanchnic vein thrombosis which can have dire consequences. Here we report a case of a 38-year-old female who developed acute Budd-Chiari syndrome after a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. She had polycythemia vera which was not diagnosed before surgery. In this report we want to highlight presurgical evaluation of routine biochemical tests and ultrasonography suggestive of myeloproliferative disorders were missed which led to the Budd-Chiari syndrome. We recommend a meticulous look at the routine evaluation done prior to cholecystectomy is essential.