A case of heterotopic gastric mucosa in the gallbladder

Abstract

An asymptomatic 51–year–old woman visited our hospital because of a polypoid lesion in the gallbladder pointed out by a physician. Except for a slight increase in γ–GTP, no abnormal findings including tumor markers were noted. Ultrasonography of the abdomen revealed a 16 × 18 mm broad–based polypoid lesion, accompanied by irregular structure of the wall partially. Abdominal CT scan showed a mass in the gallbladder as well. Because a possibility of a malignant tumor could not be ruled out completely, laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed. In a histopathological examination, gland ducts made of cryptic cuticles, stomach fundus glands, and pyloric glands were identified in almost all layers. Thus heterotopic gastric mucosa in the gallbladder was diagnosed. Heterotopic gastric mucosa in the gallbladder is so rare that only 38 cases, including ours, have been reported in the Japanese literature. We present this case with some bibliographical comments, because it would have to be kept in mind as a differential diagnosis for a mass lesion in the gallbladder.