Anomalous Gallbladder: Atypical Acute Cholecystitis in a Patient With Phocomelia.
4 affiliations
- 1Orthopedic Surgery, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Elmira, USA.
- 2General Surgery, Ross University School of Medicine, Miramar, USA.
- 3Medicine, City University of New York (CUNY) School of Medicine, New York, USA.
- 4General Surgery, St. John's Episcopal Hospital, Far Rockaway, USA.
Abstract
Congenital anomalies of the gallbladder are exceedingly rare and, as a result, may complicate the diagnosis of biliary disease, especially when imaging findings do not align with clinical presentation. Phocomelia is a rare congenital malformation with multisystem involvement, though hepatobiliary anomalies are seldom reported. We present the case of a 45-year-old woman with phocomelia who presented with right upper quadrant pain and elevated bilirubin. Ultrasound and a hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid scan were unremarkable, whereas computed tomography showed a fluid-filled structure along the superior hepatic surface, with the gallbladder absent from its expected fossa. Diagnostic laparoscopy demonstrated an ectopic suprahepatic gallbladder with a markedly elongated cystic duct and inflammatory changes. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed with complete resolution of symptoms. This case highlights that anatomic variation, especially in phocomelia, may obscure typical imaging findings and warrants a high index of clinical suspicion when results are discordant.
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BibTeX
@article{akkok2026anomalous,
title = {{Anomalous Gallbladder: Atypical Acute Cholecystitis in a Patient With Phocomelia.}},
author = {Arif Akkok and Joanna Kondroski and Asli Akkok and Gagandeep Samra and Delcasse Joseph},
journal = {Cureus},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.7759/cureus.116555},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42899289},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Anomalous Gallbladder: Atypical Acute Cholecystitis in a Patient With Phocomelia.
AU - Arif Akkok
AU - Joanna Kondroski
AU - Asli Akkok
AU - Gagandeep Samra
AU - Delcasse Joseph
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/19
JO - Cureus
DO - 10.7759/cureus.116555
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42899289
AB - Congenital anomalies of the gallbladder are exceedingly rare and, as a result, may complicate the diagnosis of biliary disease, especially when imaging findings do not align with clinical presentation. Phocomelia is a rare congenital malformation with multisystem involvement, though hepatobiliary anomalies are seldom reported. We present the case of a 45-year-old woman with phocomelia who presented with right upper quadrant pain and elevated bilirubin. Ultrasound and a hepatobiliary iminodiacetic acid scan were unremarkable, whereas computed tomography showed a fluid-filled structure along the superior hepatic surface, with the gallbladder absent from its expected fossa. Diagnostic laparoscopy demonstrated an ectopic suprahepatic gallbladder with a markedly elongated cystic duct and inflammatory changes. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed with complete resolution of symptoms. This case highlights that anatomic variation, especially in phocomelia, may obscure typical imaging findings and warrants a high index of clinical suspicion when results are discordant.
SN - 2168-8184
ER -