Gallbladder- associated ectopic liver tissue: Case Report

Author(s): Mohamad Rakka, Sorin Cimpean, Pieter Demetter, Ion Surdeanu, Abdelilah Mehdi

Introduction: Ectopic liver tissue is a rare entity. It can be found in various organs of the body but the most common reported location is the gallbladder. The incidence is varying between 0.27% and 0.47%. Most of the cases are asymptomatic and diagnosed intra-operatively or during autopsy. We report a case of Gallbladder-Associated ectopic liver tissue that was encountered during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

Case presentation: A 40-year-old female patient was admitted to the hospital for laparoscopic cholecystectomy for symptomatic gallstones, intra-operatively we found an ectopic liver tissue attached to the gallbladder wall. Cholecystectomy was performed and the patient was discharged home the day after surgery in good condition. The histopathological examination of the specimen was confirmed to be an ectopic liver tissue without signs of malignant transformation.

Discussion: Ectopic liver tissue is a rare congenital anomaly. It is defined as the presence of liver tissue outside the native liver. It occurs due to a failure of embryological liver development and it can be found in various organs of the body but the most common reported location is the gallbladder. Ectopic liver tissue is found to be functionally handicapped and more vulnerable to carcinogens and it is strongly associated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Conclusion: Although it is a rare condition, ectopic liver tissue may pose a challenge to surgeons. When encountered, a surgical excision with histopathological examination is recommended because of its serious complications and the potential risk of malignant transformation.

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