Congenital Anomalies of the Gallbladder

Extraabdominal malposition of the gallbladder

“…Normally, the cystic artery arises from the right hepatic artery, but under abnormal conditions, it may originate from the left hepatic, common hepatic, or gastric artery. Any interruption of or deviation from this developmental process may result in some malformation of the gallbladder or the bile ducts [4]. The gallbladder is held to the liver by a fold of peritoneum The fundus of the gallbladder can be seen on ultrasound at Murphy's point [2,3].…”

“…They can be summarized as wandering gallbladders (lesser omentum, retroduodenal, within the falciform ligament, within the abdominal wall muscles, and intrathoracic). Nevertheless, there is no scientifically based explanation as to how these variations arise [4,6]. One possible consideration would be a poorly attached gallbladder that remained extraabdominally when the intestinal contents returned to the abdominal cavity and the umbilical ring closed.…”

“…One possible consideration would be a poorly attached gallbladder that remained extraabdominally when the intestinal contents returned to the abdominal cavity and the umbilical ring closed. However, no ectopic gallbladder in an extraabdominal position has been described so far [2,[4][5][6][7].…”

“…Abnormally positioned gallbladders should be removed even if they are asymptomatic, to prevent difficulties in the diagnosis of possible gallbladder diseases at a later date. The possibility of an ectopic gallbladder must be kept in mind when a suspicious cystic area is encountered in an atypical location and when the gallbladder is not seen in its normal location or if the preoperative diagnostic workup does not confirm the typical clinical symptoms of gallbladder disease [4,7]. Ultrasound is a simple, safe, rapid, and inexpensive method of gallbladder imaging that allows the sonographer to seek ectopic gallbladder in all cases, including pregnant women [6,7].…”

Gallbladder Agenesis and Cystic Duct Absence in an Adult Patient Diagnosed by Magnetic Resonance Cholangiography: Report of a Case and Review of the Literature

“…It is present in 1/6 of cases of biliary atresia; the isolated absence of the gallbladder and cystic duct is rare [5]. The average incidence of gallbladder agenesis at birth is around 0.02% (A6); it occurs without sex-linked traits and with variable penetrance [6].…”