Agenesis of the right lobe of the liver: a case report

Agenesis of the right hepatic lobe is a rare congenital anomaly. Developmental anomalies of the right lobe of the liver were first reported in 1870 by Heller [6]. Anatomical variations of the liver are common, occur during the normal development of the organ, and correspond to variations in the distribution of liver territories. Agenesis of the right lobe of the liver is an incidental finding revealed by the popularization of ultrasonography, computed tomography, or magnetic resonance imaging due to the condition being asymptomatic.

A 35-year-old Ethiopian female patient presented to the outpatient clinic with a complaint of right upper abdominal pain for 1 year, along with symptoms of fatty meal intolerance and long-standing epigastric burning pain. Her examination was unremarkable, and imaging investigations were suggestive of right hepatic lobe agenesis with multiple gallstones. Therefore, the patient was operated on and discharged with no perioperative complications.

Surgical understanding of such anatomical anomalies is necessary for surgical planning, the appropriate interpretation of intraoperative surgical findings, and the design of postoperative therapy. Here we report a case of right hepatic lobe agenesis with cholelithiasis and cholidocholithiasis and a brief review of right lobe agenesis in the literature.