Laparoscopic resection of a duplicated gall bladder: A case report and literature review

Abstract A duplicated gall bladder is a rare congenital biliary anomaly, with an incidence rate estimated between 1 in 4000–1 in 5000. It may present with no apparent symptoms or can manifest as biliary colic or symptoms related to pancreatitis. The Harlaftis classification system is widely used for categorising duplicated gall bladders: type I is the split primordial gallbladder, which includes the septated, V-shaped and Y-shaped varieties; type II is the accessory gall bladder type, encompassing the H-shaped or tubular and trabecular types and type III is the triplicated gall bladder type. Prophylactic surgical treatment is not recommended for asymptomatic duplicated gall bladders. However, for symptomatic cases, surgical resection remains the treatment of choice, and intraoperative cholangiography can help reduce the risk of bile duct injury. This article reports a case of a 59-year-old female patient in whom a duplicated gall bladder anomaly was not detected preoperatively but was found intraoperatively. The patient successfully underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy, and the post-operative pathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of duplicated gall bladder anomaly.