Case report of ectopic hepatic tissue, a rare finding during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy

INTRODUCTION: Ectopic hepatic tissue is due to an uncommon failure of embryological liver development. The incidence of ectopic liver has been reported to be anywhere from 0.24% to 0.47% and a prevalence rate of 0.47% as diagnosed at laparotomy or laparoscopy. We report a case of Ectopic Hepatic tissue attached to the gallbladder wall that was discovered during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. CASE REPORT: A 47 year-old women presented to the surgery department with abdominal acute pain. The patient was taken for a standard laparoscopic cholecystectomy. The gallbladder was retracted cephalad while Hartmann’s pouch was retracted laterally. It was then noted that an ectopic tissue was present on the gallbladder wall. The patient recovered well after surgery, had no complications and was discharged the day after surgery. DISCUSSION: Ectopic hepatic tissue is a rare condition. The real incidence of ectopic hepatic tissue attached to the gallbladder wall is difficult to assess but is reportedly 0.24–0.47% of the population. Ectopic hepatic tissue attached to the gallbladder usually remains asymptomatic and is occasionally discovered during laparoscopy, as was the case with the patient in the present report. In this case presented, the histopathological examination of specimen was confirmed to be ectopic liver tissue without hepatocellular carcinoma. CONCLUSION: It is important to be vigilant of ectopic hepatic tissue, their complications, and the potential surgical, including increased operative time and the need to follow up on such patients to rule out any possible complications.