1989 Volume 31 Issue 2 Pages 471-476_1
A 74 year old female was admitted because of abdominal pain, fever and jaundice. Abdominal ultrasonography, computed tomography of the abdomen and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography revealed intrahepatic ductal stones and choledocholithiasis, but did not demonstrate the gallbladder and cystic duct. From these findings, we suspected the atrophic changes of the gallbladder with cholicystolithiasis. At operation, the gallbladder and cystic duct were also not detected. Intraoperative cholangiographic examination confirmed the absensce of the gallbladder and cystic duct, choledocholithiasis and saccular dilatation of the choledochus. Cholangioscopic examination also demonstrated saccular dilatation of the choledochus. This is of particular interest in that this saccular dilatation possibly is a rudimentary gallbladder in a case of congenital atresia.
