An unexpected encounter in Calot's triangle: Cystic duct duplication with cholelithiasis in a young male

A duplicated cystic duct draining a single gall bladder is an exceedingly rare congenital biliary anomaly. Fewer than 25 cases have been described in published literature, and the condition is almost never diagnosed before surgery. We report a 19-year-old male who presented with recurrent right upper quadrant pain. Abdominal ultrasonography confirmed cholelithiasis but revealed no biliary ductal abnormality. During elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy, meticulous dissection of Calot's triangle unexpectedly identified two separate cystic ducts, both draining a single gall bladder. Each duct was individually traced to confirm its distal course, then clipped and divided under direct vision after establishing the critical view of safety. The procedure was completed laparoscopically without complication. The patient was discharged on the post-operative day 2 and remained well at the follow-up. This case underscores that standard pre-operative imaging does not guarantee normal biliary anatomy and that systematic, unhurried dissection with a critical view of safety remains the only reliable safeguard against inadvertent bile duct injury.