Laparoscopic double cholecystectomy for duplicated gallbladder: A case report

Duplication of the gallbladder (GB) is a very rare surgical encounter affecting 1 in 4000-5000 population that often eludes detection on preoperative ultrasonography, and might increase operative difficulty and risk. The H-type anomaly is the most common whereby each GB drains into the common bile duct via a separate cystic duct.

We report a young female patient with symptomatic gallstones who was incidentally found to have abnormal biliary anatomy on a CT colonography and an H-type duplication of the GB on MRCP. A challenging laparoscopic double cholecystectomy was performed uneventfully.

Gallbladder duplication can be classified as a type-I anomaly (partiality split primordial gallbladder), a type-II anomaly (two separate gallbladders, each with their own cystic duct) or a rare type-III anomaly (triple gallbladders draining by 1-3 separate cystic ducts).Such anatomical variations are associated with increased operative difficulty and risks, including conversion to open cholecystectomy and common bile duct injury.

A young female patient was pre-operatively diagnosed with a Harlaftis's type-II GB anomaly. Each gallbladder was drained by a distinct cystic duct (H-type anomaly). A laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed with no complications afterwards. Awareness of this rare anomaly might require intraoperative cholangiography when initially suspected during a cholecystectomy to facilitate anatomical recognition and avoid missing a symptomatic pathologic GB and the need for a repeat cholecystectomy.