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Updated: Mar 16, 2026
Author Spotlight: Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Gastric Content Assessment and Risk Stratification in Perioperative Care
Published on: September 22, 2023
Accessory liver lobe attached to the gallbladder wall preoperatively detected by ultrasonography: A case report
Shingo Ito1, Ryohei Takeda1, Ritsuo Kokubo1
1Department of Surgery, Yotsukaido Tokushukai Hospital, Chiba, Japan.
Introduction:
An accessory liver lobe is a rare developmental abnormality, which is often not diagnosed preoperatively, and is usually detected incidentally during abdominal surgery. This condition is often asymptomatic; here, we report on a case where the accessory liver lobe was diagnosed preoperatively using ultrasonography.
Case Presentation:
A 59-year-old woman presented to our hospital with right upper abdominal pain. An abdominal ultrasonography indicated the presence of gallbladder debris and an accessory liver lobe. She underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy and resection of the accessory liver lobe without any complications.
Discussion:
An accessory liver lobe is a rare anomaly of the liver. It is typically asymptomatic and is detected incidentally during surgery or autopsy in most cases. However, we diagnosed the accessory liver lobe using ultrasonography. An accessory liver lobe can occasionally result in complications, such as bleeding, portal vein obstruction, or malignant transformation to hepatocellular carcinoma.
Conclusion:
An accessory liver lobe should be resected to prevent complications and malignant transformation. Ultrasonography is useful for preoperative diagnosis in cases with an accessory liver lobe.
