The First Ever Described Transhepatic Gallbladder
Kristen Bridges MD1, Pratibha Vemulapalli MD1, Kieran O'Driscoll BSc1, Jamie Han DO1, Jaime Sexton MSc1 and Brian Gilchrist MD1*
1 The Brooklyn Hospital Center, New York, USA.
*Corresponding Author: Brian Gilchrist MD, The Brooklyn Hospital Center, New York, USA.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58624/SVOAMR.2023.01.003
Received: June 21, 2023 Published: August 03, 2023
Abstract
A transhepatic gallbladder is an exceedingly rare finding that presents unique challenges for the general surgeon who often encounters it unexpectedly. A sonogram will not demonstrate it. A gallbladder that wholly penetrates the right lobe of the liver and is clearly visible on the anterior surface is an enigma. We describe an incidental finding at the time of elective surgery of such a phenomenon. This presented the author with a unique problem - how to remove the entire gallbladder without leaving a hole in the right lobe of the liver through which bowel could herniate. A novel technique was utilized which left a small bridge of cauterized gallbladder fundus wall. This article delves into the embryology of the hepatobiliary system in order to surmise how this could have occurred during development. This transhepatic gallbladder also contained a septum, dividing the gallbladder transversely into unequal parts. We hope that our findings and operative description will assist future surgeons that encounter a similar anatomic problem.
Keywords: transhepatic gallbladder, anomalous gallbladder, septate gallbladder, hepatobiliary embryology.
Citation: Bridges K, Vemulapalli P, O'Driscoll K, Han J, Sexton J, Gilchrist B. The First Ever Described Transhepatic Gallbladder. SVOA Medical Research 2023, 1:1, 12-16.