Hypoplasia of the right hepatic lobe combined with a floating gallbladder

Agenesis or hypoplasia of the right hepatic lobe combined with a floating gallbladder is an extremely rare condition. We report a case of hypoplasia of the right hepatic lobe, discovered in a 65-year old female. This was an incidental finding at CT scan for staging of a right colonic cancer. The CT evidenced the presence of a hypoplastic right lobe, while the left lobe was diffusely enlarged. Furthermore, the gallbladder was described as floating with partially calcified walls. The diagnosis of this rare anomaly was confirmed intraoperatively. The patient underwent right hemicolectomy and cholecystectomy. Biopsies were taken from both right and left hepatic lobes, revealing the presence of normal hepatic parenchyma. Since all causes of acquired atrophy of the liver had been ruled out, we considered this case to be of congenital origin.