Congenital agenesis of the gallbladder: a UK case report

Abstract

Congenital absence of the gallbladder has a reported incidence between 0.013 and 0.075% (Singh et al., Congenital absence of the gallbladder. Surg Radiol Anat 1999; 21: 221-4). With fewer than 500 cases reported in the literature, it is a well-recognised yet rare embryological malformation. Gallbladder agenesis becomes symptomatic in almost a quarter of cases mostly presenting as cholecystitis or cholecystolithiasis. In this case report, a 24-year-old Caucasian male presented with intermittent right-sided abdominal pain with no associated symptoms. On a background of no past medical history, his pain was presumed to be biliary colic. The rarity of these case reports shows that there is a lack of awareness of gallbladder agenesis when thinking of differential diagnoses. There has also been no conclusive gold standard investigation decided, upon which results are satisfactory enough to avoid surgery. Therefore, as in this case report, this group of patients often undergo unnecessary operations as often the condition is not considered and precise diagnosis pre-operatively is very difficult.

Figure 1:

Ultrasound scan indicating no confirmed gallbladder but acoustic shadowing usually suggestive of a gallbladder contracted around gallstones.

Figure 2:

MRCP indicating no gallbladder positively confirmed and no duct dilatation or stones present.