A case of an absent gall bladder presenting as biliary colic in a tertiary care hospital in Karachi.

ABSTRACT

Gallbladder agenesis is a rare congenital anomaly occurring in 10-65 per 100,000 populations with the incidence being more common in females with a ratio of 31. Although asymptomatic, some patients present with symptoms like biliary colic and often indistinguishable from common conditions leading to unnecessary surgery. A 19-year old woman presented to the hospital with epigastric and right upper quadrant pain, other signs and symptoms consistent with biliary colic. However, on laparoscopy gall bladder was absent. Ultra-sound of the abdomen is the preferred for gallbladder diseases but due to scarcity of reports on gallbladder agenesis, it is often misread due to periportal tissue and sub-phrenic folds often reported as gallbladder or calculi leading to unnecessary surgery. Agenesis, a rare anomaly, poses a diagnostic dilemma to surgeons as it is usually diagnosed during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Clinicians should keep in mind this entity when the gallbladder is poorly visualized on ultrasound and think of more detailed investigations such as Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography.