Left-sided gallbladder associated with congenital liver cyst.

BACKGROUND: A left-sided gallbladder is a rare congenital anomaly defined as a gallbladder attached to the lower surface of the left lateral segment of the liver, i.e. to the left of the interlobar fissure and round ligament. CASE OUTLINES: In two women aged 42 and 70 years a left-sided gallbladder was associated with a congenital cyst of the liver. In the first patient, the ectopic gallbladder was an incidental finding at operation for a symptomatic liver cyst; as the gallbladder was normal it was not removed. The second patient underwent operation for chronic calculous cholecystitis, when the left-sided gallbladder and congenital liver cyst were found. An operative cholangiogram was normal, the cystic duct joining the common bile duct from the right side. The gallbladder was removed, and the cyst was de-roofed. Both patients had an uneventful recovery and remain symptom-free at 12 and 9 years respectively. DISCUSSION: To the best of our knowledge, the association of these two congenital anomalies has not been described previously.