Challenging intrahepatic laparoscopic cholecystectomy: a case report

There have been reports of gallbladders in several ectopic locations. A gallbladder that is intrahepatic is one that is located along the anterior inferior right lobe of the liver or within the liver parenchyma. A 39-year-old male patient presented with symptoms that led to a gallbladder origin and was worked up using ultrasonography, which confirmed the presence of a contracted gallbladder with multiple stones. The patient was booked electively for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Diagnostic laparoscopy was utilized and revealed only the lower end of the gallbladder, while the rest was embedded within the liver parenchyma. After resection, the gallbladder was sent to pathology and came back as chronic cholecystitis. The patient was discharged with an unremarkable postoperative period. Intrahepatic gallbladders can be very challenging to locate during a laparoscopic procedure, but can still be managed without converting to an open technique.