Ahunayizhi A, Zhang XL, Chen Q, Wang H, Ding G, Akumuo S, Wang XX, Ruan XJ. Laparoscopic management of gallstones in a duplicate gallbladder with double cystic ducts: A case report. World J Gastrointest Surg 2025; 17(9): 110796 [DOI: 10.4240/wjgs.v17.i9.110796]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Xiao-Jiao Ruan, MD, Associate Chief Pharmacist, Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Nanbaixiang Street, Ouhai District, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang Province, China. roy2716@126.com
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Abuduniyazi Ahunayizhi, Xin-Long Zhang, Qian Chen, Hui Wang, Gang Ding, Sulaiman Akumuo, Xue-Xin Wang, Department of General Surgery, The First People’s Hospital of Aksu Prefecture, Aksu 843000, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China
Xiao-Jiao Ruan, Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed to the conception and design of the study and revision of the manuscript; Zhang XL, Chen Q, Wang H, Ding G, and Akumuo S contributed to material preparation, data collection and analysis; Ahunayizhi A wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors have approved the final manuscript.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for publication of this report and any accompanying images.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xiao-Jiao Ruan, MD, Associate Chief Pharmacist, Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Nanbaixiang Street, Ouhai District, Wenzhou 325000, Zhejiang Province, China. roy2716@126.com
Received: June 18, 2025 Revised: July 6, 2025 Accepted: July 31, 2025 Published online: September 27, 2025 Processing time: 101 Days and 3.6 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Duplicated gallbladder with two completely independent cystic ducts is an exceptionally rare congenital anomaly. This case report documents an example of successful laparoscopic management, adding to the limited literature by highlighting the importance of accurate preoperative imaging and surgical planning.
CASE SUMMARY
We present the case of a 46-year-old Uyghur woman who was admitted with intermittent right upper abdominal pain accompanied by nausea and vomiting that had persisted for 1 week. Her basic blood test results, including liver function test, were normal. Preoperative ultrasound revealed an abnormal echo in the gallbladder region, suggesting a double gallbladder malformation with one chamber containing multiple stones. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography confirmed a double gallbladder anomaly. The patient subsequently underwent successful laparoscopic cholecystectomy. During the procedure, two gallbladder chambers were identified, with each cystic duct being independently inserted into the common bile duct. Surgery was completed without complications, and postoperative pathology confirmed the presence of gallstones and chronic cholecystitis. Because of the effective preoperative assessment, the patient recovered smoothly and was discharged 3 days after surgery, reporting no discomfort during follow-up.
CONCLUSION
This case highlights the need for thorough evaluation of rare gallbladder anomalies; literature recommends removing both to prevent disease recurrence. We present this case to raise clinical awareness, support appropriate diagnosis, and reinforce the recommendation to remove both gallbladders to prevent recurrence of gallbladder disease.
Core Tip: Duplicated gallbladder featuring two completely independent cystic ducts is an extremely rare congenital anomaly. Herein, we present the rare case of a 46-year-old female patient with a completely independent cystic duct duplication anomaly accompanied by gallstones. Preoperative ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography confirmed the presence of a double gallbladder anomaly. The patient was successfully treated by laparoscopic cholecystectomy. During the procedure, two gallbladder chambers were identified, with each cystic duct being independently inserted into the common bile duct.
